In my doppelganger studies, I have learned that there is a real medical syndrome called Capgras delusion. Those who suffer from it become convinced that people in their lives—spouses, children, friends—have been replaced by replicas or doppelgangers. According to the film historian Paul Meehan, the discovery of the syndrome likely inspired sci-fi classics like Invasion of the Body Snatchers and The Stepford Wives. But what is it called when a society divides into two warring factions, both of which are convinced that the other has been replaced by doppelgangers? Is there a syndrome for that? Is there a solution?

QUESTION: The author poses an open question: what is the social analog of Capgras delusion, and is there a solution? Worth chasing whether anyone has diagnosed this political-psychological phenomenon. XREF: Connects to polarization literature and the psychology of dehumanization, where out-groups are perceived as not fully human or authentic.

Naomi Klein, Doppelganger, loc. 365