Witch Hunt: When Society Turns on Its Own

About this event

Few images are more closely associated with Halloween than the witch: black hats, broomsticks, and bubbling cauldrons. But behind the familiar folklore lies a much darker history. Between the 15th and 18th centuries, tens of thousands of people across Europe and colonial America were accused of witchcraft, often based on little more than rumor, misfortune, or behavior that seemed unusual. Witch hunts offer a window into what happens when fear becomes contagious and a community begins looking for someone to blame. And while modern society no longer burns witches at the stake, we still have our own versions of the witch hunt: viral outrage, public shaming, and moments when fear or anger turns neighbors, coworkers, and strangers into targets. • Why does fear so often create a need for someone to blame, rather than simply a need to solve the problem? • What makes a society decide that certain people are dangerous enough to be excluded or even destroyed? • Why are societies sometimes more willing to turn against members of their own community than against an outside enemy? • Are modern phenomena like cancel culture, conspiracy theories, and moral panics fundamentally similar to historical witch hunts, or is that comparison unfair? • What is more frightening: living in a society where dangerous people might go unpunished, or one where innocent people might be punished in the name of safety? • If witch hunts are a recurring feature of human societies, what does that suggest about the conditions that make people turn against their own — and about whether those tendencies can ever really be overcome? Witch Trials in the 21st Century https://education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/witch-trials-21st-century/ How History’s Brutal Witch Trials Still Resonate Now https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20250516-how-historys-brutal-witch-trials-still-resonate-now Can Online Viral Outrage Change Hearts and Minds? https://spsp.org/news-center/character-context-blog/can-online-viral-outrage-change-hearts-and-minds \*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\* In addition to the main topic (above), we also provide breakout rooms at 8pm as follows: “Philosophy” – philosophy and its applications “Town Square” – politics and current events “Conference Room” – open for anything “The Lounge” – light social chat