Fanaticism is an emotion of being filled with excessive, uncritical zeal, particularly for an extreme religious or political cause, or with an obsessive enthusiasm for a pastime or hobby. For other uses, see Emotion (disambiguation). ... Zeal is a volunteer-built web directory, first appearing in 1999, and then acquired by LookSmart in October 2000 for $20 million. ... Various Religious symbols, including (first row) Christian, Jewish, Hindu, Bahai, (second row) Islamic, tribal, Taoist, Shinto (third row) Buddhist, Sikh, Hindu, Jain, (fourth row) Ayyavazhi, Triple Goddess, Maltese cross, pre-Christian Slavonic Religion is the adherence to codified beliefs and rituals that generally involve a faith in a spiritual... The Politics series Politics Portal This box:      Politics is the process by which groups of people make decisions. ... For other things named OCD, see OCD (disambiguation). ... A hobby is a spare-time recreational pursuit. ...

According to philosopher George Santayana, "Fanaticism consists in redoubling your effort when you have forgotten your aim"^[1]; according to Winston Churchill, "A fanatic is one who can't change his mind and won't change the subject". George Santayana George Santayana (December 16, 1863, Madrid – September 26, 1952, Rome), was a philosopher, essayist, poet, and novelist. ... “Churchill” redirects here. ...

The difference between a fan and a fanatic is that while both have an overwhelming liking or interest in a given subject, behaviour of a fanatic will be viewed as violating prevailing social norms, while that of a fan will not violate those norms (although is usually considered unusual).^[2] Fans of Janet Jackson, at Much Music in Toronto The word fan refers to someone who has an intense, occasionally overwhelming liking of a person, group of persons, work of art, idea, or trend. ... In sociology, a norm, or social norm, is a pattern of behavior expected within a particular society in a given situation. ...

A fanatic differs from a crank in that the latter term is typically associated with a position or opinion which is so far from the norm as to appear ludicrous and/or provably wrong, while the subject of the fanatic's obsession may well be "normal", with only the scale of involvement being abnormally disproportionate. Crank is a pejorative term for a person who holds some belief which the vast majority of his contemporaries would consider false, clings to this belief in the face of all counterarguments or evidence presented to him. ... Look up obsession in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

Categories of fanaticism

• consumer fanaticism - the level of involvement or interest one has in the liking of a particular person, group, trend, artwork or idea.
• religious fanaticism - considered by some to be the most extreme form of religious fundamentalism.
• anti-religious fanaticism: As opposed to religious fanaticism, anti-religious fanaticism deals with the fanatic opposition to religious doctrine. An example of it would be Anti-clericalism.
• leisure fanaticism - high levels of intensity, enthusiasm, commitment and zeal shown for one's leisure activities.^[3]

Consumers refers to individuals or households that purchase and use goods and services generated within the economy. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Fundamentalism is a movement to maintain strict adherence to founding principles. ... Religious is a term with both a technical definition and folk use. ... Anti-clericalism is a historical movement that opposes religious (generally Catholic) institutional power and influence in all aspects of public and political life, and the encroachment of religion in the everyday life of the citizen. ...

See also

Look up Fanaticism in
Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

• Enthusiasm
• Fixation
• Obsession
• Religious fanaticism
• Zealotry

Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Wiktionary (a portmanteau of wiki and dictionary) is a multilingual, Web-based project to create a free content dictionary, available in over 150 languages. ... Enthusiasm (Greek: enthousiasmos) originally meant inspiration or possession by a divine afflatus or by the presence of a God. ... Look up Fixation in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Look up obsession in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Zealotry was a movement in first century Judaism, described by Josephus as one of the four sects at this time. ...

References

• Haynal, A., Molnar, M. and de Puymege, G. 1987."Fanaticism. A Historical and Psychoanalytical Study".Schoken Books. New York.
• Rudin, J. 1969.Fanaticism. A psychological Analysis. University of Notre Dame Press. London.