In literature the word "fanatic" is deployed to capture an intensity of belief that often transcends rationality, whether it emerges in a religious, political, or personal context. Authors use the term to depict characters whose unyielding commitment can border on the absurd or the dangerous. For instance, it appears to criticize blind faith and delusion in a personal sphere as a character is portrayed as overly credulous [1] or when a leader incites destructive mobs driven by extremist zeal [2]. At the same time, “fanatic” can be employed with a touch of irony or to highlight an eccentric but fervent devotion, as in the self-identification of an enthusiast of a mundane trade [3]. In other narratives it serves as a warning of how excessive sincerity in belief—even when it produces fervor that borders on the sublime or the tragic—can lead characters to take actions that defy conventional reason [4, 5].