Aug 2, 2013

The Effective Extremist Collective

... they can't be too extreme or else they will be ignored ...

"First, social-psychological studies of small groups show that "moral exemplars" -- those who stand outside the general consensus and at first are labeled as "extremists" -- can often be very effective, but with one important qualification: they can't be too extreme or else they will be ignored. Thus, the trick for any social change agent is to be just extreme enough to be an "effective extremist."

Second, historical case studies of social change show that a very small number of highly organized and disciplined people, drawing great energy from their strong moral beliefs and supreme confidence in their shared theoretical analysis, can have a big impact."

What Social Science Can Tell Us About Social Change
by G. William Domhoff
March 2005

http://www2.ucsc.edu/whorulesamerica/change/science.html

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