Fanaticism is a belief or behavior involving uncritical zeal,
particularly for an extreme religious or political cause or in some cases
sports, or with an obsessive enthusiasm for a pastime or hobby. Philosopher
George Santayana defines fanaticism as "redoubling your effort when you
have forgotten your aim"; according to Winston Churchill, "A fanatic
is one who can't change his mind and won't change the subject".
By either description the fanatic displays very strict
standards and little tolerance for contrary ideas or opinions. In his book
Crazy Talk, Stupid Talk, Neil Postman states that "the key to all
fanatical beliefs is that they are self-confirming fanatical not because they
are 'false', but because they are expressed in such a way that they can never
be shown to be false." The behavior of a fan with overwhelming enthusiasm
for a given subject is differentiated from the behavior of a fanatic by the
fanatic's violation of prevailing social norms. Though the fan's behavior may
be judged as odd or eccentric, it does not violate such norms.
A fanatic differs from a crank, in that a crank is defined as
a person who holds a position or opinion which is so far from the norm as to
appear ludicrous and/or probably wrong, such as a belief in a Flat Earth. In
contrast, the subject of the fanatic's obsession may be "normal",
such as an interest in religion or politics, except that the scale of the
person's involvement, devotion, or obsession with the activity or cause is
abnormal or disproportionate.
