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Witch: A Tale of Terror

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Witch: A Tale of Terror

By: Charles MacKay, Sam Harris - introduction
Narrated by: Sam Harris
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About this listen

For centuries in Europe, innocent men and women were murdered for the imaginary crime of witchcraft. This was a mass delusion and moral panic, driven by pious superstition and a deadly commitment to religious conformity. In Witch: A Tale of Terror, best-selling author Sam Harris introduces and reads from Charles Mackay's beloved book, Extraordinary Popular Delusions and the Madness of Crowds.

Public Domain (P)2016 Sam Harris Europe Witchcraft Magic Suspenseful
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I am accustomed to Sam Harris’ voice through his Waking Up podcast, so I knew what to expect from the narrator - very clear, not too emotional, good pace, easy for anyone who speaks English as a second or third (or more) language to understand, but not too slow for an English mother-tongue speaker.

The story itself is of a very interesting (for us now - it must have been a horrible period at the time) passage of time when witch craft seemed so real to everyone and for some reason people even incriminated themselves by telling fantastical tales. And then of course there were self-righteous, sadistic witchfinders.... it sounds all too modern day again when you think of the Jordanian pilot burnt alive in Syria, the polygamous woman apparently buried to her neck and stoned to death by Al-Shabaab in Somalia and the way people who leave cults like Scientologists, Mormom and Christian sects get harrassment and all ties to families cut. I guess that’s why Sam Harris came up with the good idea of telling this story anew for the modern audience. I really enjoyed it, while wincing at the sadism and misguidedness.

Interesting, well narrated

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Sam Harris provides a superb narration of a recap of the witch hunts in Europe, as written by Charles Mackay.

If you've a passing interest in the history of witch craft or the hysteria surrounding it, this book prides a short by instructive introduction to the history and facts of the time

It is well worth a listen, and while short, actually pretty well formed as a tight introduction.

Very good - and Sam Harris is a great narrator.

Well read and well worth a listen

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The title says it all. A fantastic exploration of humankinds superstitious madness and malice. excellent

Witch

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Hard to listen to, the descriptions sometimes, but another great choice, by the Jedi of Philosophy, Sam Harris.

Great read.

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A really interesting history lesson on a topic I knew very little about, if not for for certain Monty Python sketches.

Only real drawback for me was.that it didn't draw any relevant comparisons to modern day behaviour, or properly explore the phycology behind the phenomenon.

Interesting history lesson

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