DeepSummary
In this episode, David Runciman and Helen Lewis discuss the history of mesmerism, also known as animal magnetism, a late 18th-century movement that claimed medical benefits through hypnosis-like trance states. They explore the life of its founder, Franz Mesmer, and whether his methods were genuine science or pseudoscience bordering on a cult-like following. The episode examines how mesmerism tapped into societal anxieties around unexplained illnesses, particularly in women, and the allure of having one's ailments validated.
The conversation touches on the scientific scrutiny mesmerism faced, including early double-blind trials, and its influence on introducing key concepts like the placebo effect and the scientific method. Parallels are drawn to modern phenomena like online social contagions, the role of charisma in medicine and politics, and the human desire for collective experiences that allow emotional release.
Additionally, the episode delves into the duality of figures like Mesmer and Rasputin, probing whether they were self-aware frauds or true believers in their methods. It also explores the continuum from mountebanks (snake oil salesmen) to charlatans (pretenders) and how valuable ideas can emerge from scrutinizing seemingly dubious practices.
Key Episodes Takeaways
- Mesmerism, also known as animal magnetism, was an 18th-century pseudoscientific movement centered around hypnosis-like trance states claimed to have medical benefits.
- Its founder, Franz Mesmer, was a controversial figure whose methods were scrutinized by scientists but also gained a cult-like following, particularly among women seeking validation for their ailments.
- While mesmerism itself was debunked, it influenced the development of key medical concepts like the placebo effect and the scientific method through early double-blind trials.
- The episode draws parallels between mesmerism and modern phenomena like online social contagions, exploring the role of charisma, peer pressure, and the human desire for collective experiences.
- It examines the spectrum from self-aware frauds (mountebanks) to true believers (charlatans) and how valuable ideas can emerge from scrutinizing dubious practices.
- Hypnosis, which emerged from mesmerism, continues to be used today in practices like hypnobirthing, demonstrating the lasting impact of the concepts introduced.
- The appeal of mesmerism tapped into the human need to make sense of one's experiences and reframe problems, similar to practices like tarot or fortune telling.
- The episode explores the duality of charismatic figures like Mesmer and Rasputin, probing whether they were conscious frauds or true believers in their methods.
Top Episodes Quotes
- “And look, that is still used. We still have hypnobirthing, for example, as a, you know, for people who want to do natural childbirth because they're crazy, but, you know, good for them if it works for you.“ by Speaker B
- “And of course, you know, when you think about something like that, I'm sure that pure peer pressure acted on people. You know, we know from the, you know, the ashes conformity experiment that humans are incredibly susceptible to wanting to not feel left out.“ by Speaker B
- “And I feel about email like people who spent their twenties to their sixties living in the old GDR, which is, it's my whole life you've just described.“ by David Runciman
- “And I think that's the same impulse that makes people, for example, want to do tarot or fortune telling. It's a way of ruminating over your problems, reframing them, you know, maybe trying to kind of understand the story of your life and what's happening to you.“ by Speaker B
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Episode Information
Past Present Future
Ben Walker
5/19/24
For our last episode in this series David is joined by Helen Lewis to discuss Mesmerism – aka animal magnetism – an eighteenth-century method of hypnosis for which great medical benefits were claimed. Was its originator, Franz Mesmer, a charlatan or a healer? Was his movement science or religion or something in between? And what can it tell us about twenty-first century phenomena from online social contagion to hypnotherapy?
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Coming next: The Great Political Fictions resumes with Middlemarch, the greatest of them all.
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