Masa, której strach się bać. Problem znaczenia oraz definicji masy
A Mass Too Awful to Consider: The Problem of the Definition and Significance of Mass

Summary/Abstract: This text is devoted to the problem of the concept of mass in the social sciences. The departure point is a proposed division—on the basis of past works—into practical mass (the quantitative aspect of collective behaviors) and abstract mass, which is an ideological construct. Mass in the second meaning has five properties: meaning, durability, intangibility, subjectivity, and mystique. The political history of abstract mass is described, beginning from the moment of its appearance in contrast to the ruling elite and ending with the pop culture aspect. Theoreticians on the subject are referenced, in particular, Peter Sloterdijk. Then the author concentrates on how mass functions in contemporary political systems and societies (which are born of mass). He considers mass behavior, that is, those behaviors in which the participants have the consciousness of the meaning and strength of the abstract mass. He proposes a division of mass behaviors into proliferating, functional, and phantom actions. He asks whether mass today, in order to obtain a political voice, must still have a real quantitative force, or whether even the actions of an individual could acquire a mass character.

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