The Psychopath’s Bible: For the Extreme Individual, by Christopher S. Hyatt and Dr. Jack Willis
New Falcon, 1561841749, 216 pp. (incl. appendices), 1994, 2000, 2003
The Psychopath’s Bible opens with a disclaimer, and the next dozen or so pages continue this theme, warning the reader about the hazards of reading the terrible and horrifying material within, which is more than a little over the top for my taste, but entertaining nonetheless. It is primarily compiled of three ‘manuals’ and three appendices. Nicholas Tharcher sums up the basic theme of the book well in the forward when he says, “In some ways this is a book of social philosophy; in other was it is a book of technique. Which it is for you may depend more on your attitude than anything else.1
The first manual is titled “The Toxick Magician,” in which very little is given that could be used for practical application and the little theory is a bit dodgy as it is not expounded. Thoughts are left vague and incomplete, perhaps to stimulate further thought and generated ideas on the part of the practitioner, but it looks sloppy and unfinished.
However, I found the second manual, “Toxick Calculator,” far more entertaining. It deals with what Hyatt terms the “mathematics of power” and contains more detailed theory, as well as exercises with more practical applications than the first. In it, the reader gets gems like this: “We are inherently irrational, although we like to fancy ourselves as rational beings……the truth is simple: we are irrational beings capable of rational thought.”2
The third manual, ‘”The No-Where University, Sometimes Called P.U.” contains a selection of courses and literature, both printed and film, that a prospective psychopath will want to fill hirself in on in order to perfect hir transformation.
Much of what is contained within one can see easily reflected all around, friends, co-workers, etc. Particularly in the games played by world leaders. Consider this extract: “Build tension in others and help them find a scapegoat. Do this in small and insignificant ways until you have the power and ability to move people to more gross and hideous behaviours. Help people realize how easy it is to lose things they have or want. The trick in all of this is not to become identified as the bearer of bad tidings – unless you are looking for people with a strong stomach.”3 Sound familiar?
It’s entertaining, an easy read, but at the same time insightful – though not terribly new. There is little that cannot be found within the works of Sun Tzu, Niccolo Machiavelli, Ayn Rand and the like. However, the ideas have been modernized, and deliberately injected with humour, which is fun. Then again, as he says, “I have written this book in the way I wanted to write it……not for the ease of the reader nor for the sake of favourable reviews.”4
For those who have not read much in this genre there is a lot you need to know, namely, you need to understand that “no matter how pathetic, everyone is looking out for their best interests. For most people, their best interest consists of not being punished. Few play to win. They play to be safe while feeling morally superior to the winner,”5 and this is an attitude that severely needs to be corrected if you really want to play the game. This book just might help.