La Germania most dangerous book da Tacito a Himmler: un approccio neuroscientifico

This paper examines Tacitus's Germania as a "dangerous book" through an innovative neuroscientific approach. The study establishes criteria for defining dangerous texts and analyzes how Germania fulfills these criteria. Eight key characteristics are identified, including the ability to have real-world effects, potential for misuse as ideology, and exploitation of cognitive biases. The analysis focuses on Tacitus's rhetorical strategies through the lens of modern neuroscience, particularly examining cognitive biases such as the "anchoring effect" and the "pink elephant paradox; (thought suppression). The paper demonstrates how Tacitus masterfully employs these psychological mechanisms, especially in his use of negation and contrastive rhetoric when comparing Germans to Romans. The study also explores how the text's potential for danger was amplified when used in conjunction with Nazi ideology, showing how Germania's subtle persuasive techniques could be exploited for harmful purposes. By analyzing specific passages and comparing them with excerpts from Mein Kampf, the paper illustrates how Tacitus' sophisticated use of subtext and psychological manipulation made Germania particularly susceptible to misuse as a foundation for racist ideologies.