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乌合之众与人性（的弱点） 文/韩鲁珩
乌合之众是一个人们熟知的名词，多具有贬义，深入思考并非如此，不过是人的感性和社会属性的混合表现而已。
首先我们明确一下何为“乌合之众”。乌合之众这个概念最早是由法国社会心理学家古斯塔夫. 勒庞提出，直译成英语为“Crowd，” 是人群的意思，但给我们的更复杂的印象还包含 “Motley Crowd, ” 汉语意思为形形色色的人群。汉语把勒庞的“人群”翻译为乌合之众是源自乌合之众这个汉语成语的含义更接近勒庞书中的所表达的内容。
乌合之众是一则历史故事成语，出于【东观汉记】，“今東帝無尺土之柄，驅烏合之眾，跨馬陷敵，所向輒平。” 大意为一群聒噪的乌鸦，一盘散沙的意思。
勒庞的“乌合之众”是指不受纪律约束，由于某种意识形态而聚集在一起的人群，或者群体。这种群体的特征就是加入群体的人的个性特征被群体同化，失去个人的独立性，个人的思想被群体的思想所代替。这样一个群体，群体中的人，包括即使受过良好的教育，具有高度智商的人们普遍展示的是情绪化，低智商，简单的二元对立性思维。勒庞的乌合之众论述准确概括了群体性的政治运动，各种表达一定意识形态的集体性行为的基本特征。勒庞认为：“自觉个性的消失，以及感情和思想转向一个不同的方向，是就要变成组织化群体的人所表现出的首要特征。” 理性消失，情绪强化，个人情感归顺于群体的口号，群体的无意识行为取代了个人的通常自我行为。
尽管勒庞把社会心理特点归结为三个具体原因，1，心理趋同、2，情绪感染、3，心理暗示，但勒庞并没有说明人们为什么是这三种原因的受体，为什么心理趋同、情绪感染、心理暗示会引起人们相应的反应。
乌合之众是一种人类社会的群体现象，从人类诞生之日到今天，以至未来，只要人类的定义不变，人性不亡，只要人类社会存在，乌合之众现象就一直会存在，归根究底是人性决定了乌合之众的必然性。简单而言，乌合之众是一种个人理性迷失于群体非理性行为的感性现象。
人之所以称之为人是因为人性的存在，人性的重要组成部分就是人的感性。感性是指人类通过感官和直觉引发情绪和行为的一种本能反应。酸甜苦辣是感性，七情六欲是感性，爱恨情仇也是感性。感性造就了人类，保证了人类的繁衍和进化。信仰和图腾来自敬畏和崇拜，是感性的产物；牺牲来自勇气和忘我的情怀，也是感性；相濡以沫的夫妻更是情感的结合；伟大的母爱最具有感性美丽的特征。相比感性，人类的理性是在感性的基础上产生和进化，理性以逻辑思维审视感性的时候，自然会发现感性的许多原始幼稚和冲动，并不符合经过推理分析和计算判断的最佳结果，勒庞的乌合之众就是从心理学的理性角度来分析判断群体行为。
其次，我们从人的社会属性分析乌合之众的必然性。人类作为社会性的群居生物，生存和繁衍只有在群体的状况下才能得到保障，而群体的效率需要通过一种自发本能的组织形式和架构发挥，同样的情况几乎存在于所有哺乳动物群体，比如猩猩，猴子，狮子，羊，牛马等等，这种架构通常是个体的身体强壮，个性强悍的程度为基础，强壮的个体成为群体的当然领袖，早期的人类亦是如此。随着人类的进化，文明出现，人类的精神活动代替原始的肉体本能能力，人类出现了精神意志，从此人类群体更有效率的生存和繁衍行为是以精神意志，信仰为主导。精神意志和信仰主导的群体活动完全突破了个体的生理局限，可以极大扩大群体的规模，完成更多的事情。作为社会性的群体动物，乌合之众的心理趋同，情绪感染，心理暗示等现象是基本的生物功能特征，这种自然的生物特征保证了群体生物活动统一性和同一性，从而最大限度发挥群体生物的生存和繁衍优势。
从人的神经解剖和生理学方面来看人的群体行为。神经科学的研究表明，人的大脑存在一个默认模式网络，这个网络自主收集的信息不仅是有关自己的自我认知，同时也包括对他人和社会的认知。另外，人类体内的多种激素，比如肾上腺素，多巴胺，雄激素等等是人类产生情绪的物质基础。勒庞有关乌合之众的描述包括包括行为极端，夸张，激烈，盲目冲动等等，这些行为共同特征就是情绪兴奋。群体的盲目激烈行为所产生的直接效果即是肾上腺素，多巴胺和雄激素等水平升高，兴奋情绪。激烈的活动带给人们的亢奋的情绪，这种亢奋的情绪会产生愉悦和欢快的感受，尤其是群体运动所造成的效应远远超过任何一个个体能力，将这种群体效应转化为个人的兴奋的感受是一种比鸦片的作用还要强大欣快。人追求欢愉和兴奋是人在生命活动中的本能的，潜意识的需要，几乎所有精神正常的人都有这种自发的渴望。
虽然乌合之众的本质是人性的感性表达的必然结果，但在现代文明社会，精神文明高度发达，理性的思维主导了社会巨大进步的情况下，乌合之众现象意味着人性扭曲成为返祖的裸猿，感性变成一种失去个性的极端社会的情绪的表达，这种现象对个人的人格，独立的个性和自由意志有着巨大的破坏作用，同时也可能对社会进化的自然规律造成有害的干预。
勒庞写道，“群体喜欢的英雄，永远像个恺撒。影响民众想象力的，并不是事实本身，而是它们发生和引起注意的方式。偏执与妄想是宗教感情的必然伴侣。” 乌合之众的结果是盲目和个人崇拜，常常被某个人，或者某个团体，利益集团加以利用，导致个人崇拜，独裁专制，或者以公众名义和伤害社会的方式获取利益，从而达到某种政治野心和个人目的。乌合之众的结果是破坏社会理性，践踏基本人权。
尽管无论从人性的感性，社会性和生物生理性而言，我们每一个人都可能成为乌合之众，但并不意味着我们就一定是乌合之众。时刻提示自己每一个独立的个体存在是人性的属性的另一基本特征，我们每一个人都是生来与众不同，所以不必同，不能为求同而失去独立的个性。
我们需要人性，感性更是包括了人的基本含义，爱情，亲情，友情，酸甜苦辣，七情六欲等等才是属于人生的精彩。文学和艺术更需要感性的创作，人类的发展的基础是感性，这是人与人工智能，人与机器的分水岭。我们现代文明社会的人类，是精神高度进化的生物，所以我们同时具备在感性基础上的理性。维持感性与理性的平衡，坚守感性和个性的界限是作为一个具有独立人格的应该具备的基本能力。
用感性的热爱对待生活和自己的同类，用理性的思考，实事求是的态度对待社会性的政治事件，坚持批判性思维和独立的意识，如此我们可以是具备完整人性，人格的独立的人，但不是盲目冲动，失去个性，跟风人云亦云的乌合之众。
在任何社会性的运动，群体性意识倾向和行为面前保持清醒的个人独立判断。 2023，02，15 草
The Rabble and Human Nature (Its Weaknesses)
By Han Luheng
The term "rabble" is well-known, often carrying a negative connotation. However, upon deeper reflection, it is nothing more than a mixed expression of human sensibility and social traits.
First, let us clarify what is meant by "rabble." The concept was first introduced by the French social psychologist Gustave Le Bon. Directly translated into English as "crowd," it refers to a group of people. However, the term evokes a more complex impression, as in "motley crowd," meaning a diverse group of people. The Chinese phrase "乌合之众" (rabble) used to translate Le Bon’s "crowd" draws from a Chinese idiom, better capturing the essence of what Le Bon described in his book.
The phrase "乌合之众" originates from a historical story in the Dongguan Hanji: “The eastern emperor has no power over the land, driving a rabble to charge into enemy territory, conquering every direction.” This conveys the idea of a noisy, disorganized group, akin to a flock of crows.
Le Bon's "rabble" refers to a group of individuals gathered together due to some ideology, but lacking discipline. In such groups, individuals' unique characteristics are assimilated, and personal independence is lost, replaced by the group’s collective mindset. Even highly educated and intelligent individuals exhibit emotional, low-intelligence, binary thinking in such groups. Le Bon’s depiction of the rabble accurately summarizes political movements and various collective ideological actions. According to Le Bon: "The disappearance of conscious individuality and the shifting of feelings and thoughts in a new direction is the primary characteristic of individuals who become part of an organized group." Reason vanishes, emotions are heightened, personal feelings submit to group slogans, and the unconscious behavior of the group replaces individual actions.
Although Le Bon attributed the social psychological traits of the rabble to three specific causes—1) psychological convergence, 2) emotional contagion, and 3) psychological suggestion—he did not explain why people are susceptible to these influences, nor why these three factors trigger corresponding reactions.
The rabble is a social phenomenon inherent to human society. From the birth of humanity to today and into the future, as long as the definition of humanity remains unchanged and human nature endures, the phenomenon of the rabble will persist. At its core, human nature determines the inevitability of the rabble. Simply put, the rabble is a phenomenon where individual rationality is lost in the irrational behavior of the group.
Humans are called "human" because of their inherent nature, and a key component of human nature is sensibility. Sensibility refers to an instinctive reaction where emotions and actions are triggered by sensory perceptions and intuition. The sensations of sweet, sour, bitter, and spicy, the emotions of love, hate, joy, and sorrow—all stem from sensibility. Sensibility shapes humanity, ensuring survival and evolution. Faith and totems arise from awe and worship, products of sensibility. Sacrifice, born of courage and selflessness, is also rooted in sensibility. Marital companionship thrives on emotional bonds, while a mother’s love epitomizes the beauty of sensibility. In comparison, human rationality developed and evolved on the foundation of sensibility. When rationality, with its logical thinking, examines sensibility, it naturally identifies the primitiveness, immaturity, and impulsiveness of many sensibilities, which do not align with the optimal outcomes derived from reasoning, analysis, and judgment. Le Bon’s rabble reflects group behavior analyzed from a psychological rational standpoint.
Next, let us examine the inevitability of the rabble from the perspective of human social traits. As social creatures, humans can only survive and reproduce within groups. The efficiency of these groups depends on a spontaneous, instinctual form of organization and structure. This is evident in many mammalian groups, such as apes, lions, sheep, and horses. Such structures are typically based on physical strength and individual dominance, with the strongest individuals naturally becoming the group leaders. Early humans functioned in the same way. However, as humans evolved, civilization emerged. Mental capabilities replaced primal physical instincts, and humans developed spiritual will. Hence, group survival and reproductive activities became more efficient, led by spiritual will and faith rather than physical strength. Group activities driven by spiritual will can surpass individual physical limitations, expanding the group's size and achieving more. The psychological phenomena of convergence, emotional contagion, and suggestion in groups are fundamental biological features of social animals, ensuring uniformity and cohesiveness, thereby maximizing survival and reproductive advantages.
From the perspective of human neuroanatomy and physiology, group behavior can also be understood. Neuroscience has revealed that the brain's default mode network autonomously gathers information not only related to self-awareness but also concerning others and society. Additionally, various hormones in the human body, such as adrenaline, dopamine, and testosterone, serve as the material basis for emotional reactions. Le Bon’s description of the rabble, including extreme, exaggerated, and impulsive behaviors, shares a common feature—emotional arousal. The immediate result of a group’s blind, intense behavior is an increase in adrenaline, dopamine, and testosterone levels, leading to heightened excitement. This collective excitement generates feelings of pleasure and exhilaration, with the effects of group activity far exceeding what any individual can achieve. Transferring the effects of collective action into individual exhilaration is even more powerful than the effects of opium. The pursuit of joy and excitement is an instinctual and subconscious need in human life, present in almost every mentally healthy person.
Although the rabble is essentially the inevitable result of human sensibility, in a highly developed modern civilization, where rational thinking has driven significant social progress, the phenomenon of the rabble signifies a regression of human nature. Sensibility degenerates into an expression of extreme social emotions devoid of individuality. This phenomenon can severely damage individual personality, independence, and free will, and may even interfere harmfully with the natural evolutionary laws of society.
Le Bon wrote: “The hero that crowds adore will always resemble Caesar. What influences the public’s imagination is not the facts themselves, but the manner in which they happen and attract attention. Fanaticism and delusion are inevitable companions of religious feelings.” The outcome of the rabble is blind hero worship, often exploited by individuals, groups, or interest groups, leading to personal cults, authoritarianism, or public harm for personal or political gain. This ultimately destroys societal reason and tramples on basic human rights.
While every one of us, based on our sensibility, social nature, and biology, can potentially become part of the rabble, it does not mean we must be part of it. Constantly reminding ourselves of our individuality is another essential trait of human nature. Each of us is born unique, and we must not sacrifice our independence for conformity.
We need human sensibility. Sensibility encompasses the fundamental meaning of being human—love, familial bonds, friendship, the bittersweet aspects of life, and the full spectrum of emotions. These are what make life beautiful. Literature and art require sensibility in their creation. Sensibility is the foundation of human development and the dividing line between humans and artificial intelligence or machines. In today’s modern civilization, humans are spiritually advanced beings, capable of rationality grounded in sensibility. Maintaining a balance between sensibility and rationality, and preserving the boundaries between sensibility and individuality, is a basic skill that those with independent personalities should possess.
We should approach life and our fellow humans with sensibility and love, and approach social and political events with rationality, truth, and critical thinking. By maintaining independent thought and judgment, we can preserve our complete human nature and individuality, without becoming a blindly emotional, unthinking member of the rabble.
Always maintain a clear, independent judgment in the face of any social movement or collective behavior.
February 15, 2023 (draft
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