Robert Jay Lifton Livres

This is not only one of the most important works on medical ethics yet written. It also breaks through the frontiers of historiography to provide a convincing psychological interpretation of the Third Reich and the crimes of National Socialism.-New York Review of Books

Examines the psychological problems arising from dependence on nuclear weapons

In the spring of 1954, Robert Jay Lifton, a young psychiatrist freshly returned from the Korean War, chose to remain in Hong Kong to pursue his fascination with interviewing individuals subjected to Chinese thought reform. This decision marked a pivotal shift in his life, leading him to explore the depths of the human psyche and laying the groundwork for his understanding of brainwashing. Lifton's research in Hong Kong initiated a lifelong inquiry into the darkest chapters of human history, where he served as a psychological witness to collective violence and trauma, while also highlighting our remarkable resilience. His memoir chronicles an adventurous life journey, from his "Jewish Huck Finn childhood" in Brooklyn to friendships with influential intellectuals and artists, including Erik Erikson and Kurt Vonnegut. Lifton's study of Hiroshima survivors revealed the human toll of nuclear weapons and the troubling allure of their power, which he termed nuclearism. Through interviews with Nazi doctors, he exposed the chilling transformation of healers into agents of destruction. He also pioneered "rap groups" for Vietnam veterans, shedding light on post-traumatic stress disorder and helping them derive valuable insights from their experiences. As a pioneer in psychohistory, Lifton became a passionate social activist, advocating for the truths of the Vietnam War and the perils of nuclear armament. With warmth, humor, and a sense

Focusing on the psychological aftermath of catastrophe, this work by Robert Jay Lifton explores how individuals and communities can cope with the lasting impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. Drawing parallels with historical survivors of Hiroshima and Nazi death camps, Lifton emphasizes the concept of "survivor power" and advocates for a deep reckoning with the pandemic's effects. He presents a hopeful vision for renewal, suggesting that meaningful lives can emerge from tragedy and that confronting our collective experiences is essential for moving forward.

Includes essays and excerpts from the works of prominent modern thinkers such as Umberto Eco, Jacques Derrida, and Isaiah Berlin among others.

Nazi doctors did more than conduct bizarre experiments on concentration-camp inmates; they supervised the entire process of medical mass murder, from selecting those who were to be exterminated to disposing of corpses. Lifton (The Broken Connection; The Life of the Self shows that this medically supervised killing was done in the name of ``healing,'' as part of a racist program to cleanse the Aryan body politic. After the German eugenics campaign of the 1920s for forced sterilization of the ``unfit,''it was but one step to ``euthanasia,'' which in the Nazi context meant systematic murder of Jews. Building on interviews with former Nazi physicians and their prisoners, Lifton presents a disturbing portrait of careerists who killed to overcome feelings of powerlessness. He includes a chapter on Josef Mengele and one on Eduard Wirths, the ``kind,'' ``decent'' doctor (as some inmates described him) who set up the Auschwitz death machinery. Lifton also psychoanalyzes the German people, scarred by the devastation of World War I and mystically seeking regeneration. This profound study ranks with the most insightful books on the Holocaust.