Propaganda and the Ethics of Persuasion [Paperback]

Randal Marlin (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 1551113767 | ISBN-13: 978-1551113760 | Publication Date: August 2002 | Edition: 1

This book aims to develop a sophisticated understanding of propaganda. It begins with a brief history of early Western propaganda, including Ancient Greek classical theories of rhetoric and the art of persuasion, and traces its development through the Christian era, the rise of the nation-state, World War I, Nazism, and Communism. The core of the book examines the ethical implications of various forms of persuasion, not only hate propaganda but also insidious elements of more generally acceptable communication such as advertising, public relations, and government information, setting these in the context of freedom of expression. Propaganda and the Ethics of Persuasion examines the art of persuasion but it also hopes to establish a "self-defense" resistance to propaganda. As Jacques Ellul warned in 1980, any new technology enters into an already existing class system and can be expected to develop in a way favourable to the dominant interests of that system. The merger of AOL and Time-Warner confirms the likelihood of corporate interests dominating the future of the Internet, but the Internet has also opened up new possibilities for a politically effective counter-culture, as was demonstrated at the meeting of the World Trade Organization in Seattle in late 1999 and numerous similar gatherings since.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Concerted efforts to ‘direct the thought of the world' have become a dominant feature of modern life, notably in the more free societies, where direct coercion is less feasible. This study is a welcome contribution to increasing public awareness and understanding of these critical matters. It approaches them with historical depth and insightful commentary, also raising and investigating hard questions of propriety and limits that should be the focus of intense concern." (Noam Chomsky )

"...an analysis of propaganda that is not only a piece of good classical scholarship, but a fascinating historical study.... An interesting theme is the human capacity to be swayed by illusion, especially when this simplifies the complexity of a society increasingly shaped by technology.... The book deserves to be widely read for the breadth and depth of its insights." (Martha Sully Peace and Environment News )

"...so terrifyingly relevant to the troubled world of today... excellent book... so measured, so wide-ranging...." (Barbara Wright )

"...gripping reading...well-written and well thought out too. It's a real feast." (Mary Craig, author of Kundun: a Biography of the Family of the Dalai Lama and Tears of Blood: A Cry for Tibet )

"A Carleton U. philosophy prof has written a book you should read. It is eminently readable, well written, packed with fascinating information. And it deals with a then, now and future phenomenon that affects us all." (Tony Patterson Ottawa Business Journal )

"Marlin's reflections have been well marinated, coming as they do, he tells us, from three decades of studying 'the day-to-day manifestations of opinion, in newspapers, radio and the university workplace.... A valuable section on polls and statistics is required reading for anyone interested in how public opinion is formulated...." (Patrick MacFadden Literary Review of Canada )

"[Propaganda and the Ethics of Persuasion] should be required reading for professors and graduate students in persuasive communication." (Deni Elliott )

"Marlin is erudite, sensitive to nuance, and sensible." (Thomas Mathien )

"This book covers a lot of ground, and is a good introduction to the areas addressed in its various chapters. It will be a good text for an introductory course on mass communication, and more selectively useful as a resource for courses on politics and communication." (Michael Macmillan )

From the Back Cover

This book aims to develop a sophisticated understanding of propaganda. It begins with a brief history of early Western propaganda, including Ancient Greek classical theories of rhetoric and the art of persuasion, and traces its development through the Christian era, the rise of the nation-state, World War I, Nazism, and Communism. The core of the book examines the ethical implications of various forms of persuasion, not only hate propaganda but also insidious elements of more generally acceptable communication such as advertising, public relations, and government information, setting these in the context of freedom of expression. Propaganda and the Ethics of Persuasion examines the art of persuasion but it also hopes to establish a "self-defense" resistance to propaganda. As Jacques Ellul warned in 1980, any new technology enters into an already existing class system and can be expected to develop in a way favourable to the dominant interests of that system. The merger of AOL and Time-Warner confirms the likelihood of corporate interests dominating the future of the Internet, but the Internet has also opened up new possibilities for a politically effective counter-culture, as was demonstrated at the meeting of the World Trade Organization in Seattle in late 1999 and numerous similar gatherings since.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 328 pages
• Publisher: Broadview Press; 1 edition (August 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1551113767
• ISBN-13: 978-1551113760
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6.1 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #389,118 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very Important Book!, February 25, 2005

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SJPARISO2 "SJPARISO2" (California) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Propaganda and the Ethics of Persuasion (Paperback)

If America wishes to maintain a representative democracy, the information in this book is essential. All Americans have the liberty to make choices and the freedom to pursue happiness. But the very "happiness" and "freedom" that we seek to protect is often used to package and fuel propaganda. Ideas, like "the Patriot Act" may have an inherently enormous emotional appeal. They promise security, support our personal desires and even make us feel more like a member of a vast majority; ideas like this, however, have the ability to limit our freedom and our pursuit of happiness by harboring or promoting false agendas. In many ways, small influential groups have the ability to use propaganda to affect the beliefs or actions of majorities. Therefore, an understanding of propaganda is crucial if Americans wish to avoid tyrannous control of their government and restriction of their personal freedom.

Randal Marlin defines "propaganda" as "the organized attempt through communication to affect belief or action or inculcate attitudes in a large audience in ways that circumvent or suppress an individual's adequately informed, rational, reflective judgment" (22). It is critical to recognize that Marlin's definition supports the idea that the individual or group generating the propaganda creates a situation wherein its recipients are receptive to falsehoods. It is also important to recognize that within this definition, propaganda happens within information. I personally tend to believe that the reception of propaganda involves negotiation, and that the recipients of propaganda are not passive. From this perspective, it is the impairment of people's ability to negotiate that I find easier to examine than the propaganda itself. By understanding some of the techniques used in propaganda that inhibit this negotiation process, we can increase our ability to identify, dissect, and disarm them. I believe that Marlin's book educates its readers, thereby making them informed participants in this negotiation process.

Propaganda requires the attention of its target audience; without this attention, seduction opportunities cannot occur. Furthermore, there exists an overwhelmingly vast array of possible contexts and complementary channels that give rise and support to such seduction opportunities. Marlin says that "in a free society, the right of a person to choose what messages to see and hear will place limits on the right of others to communicate with him or her" (97). I agree with Marlin's statement generally, and recognize the tremendous skill that propagandists must use to choose complementary channels that support their efforts, all while holding the attention of their target audiences and supporting those audiences' interests. I also recognize the concentration of capital in American mass media industries (Marlin 253-255, 262, 283) as a frightening advancement in the efficiency of these processes.

The deregulation of American mass media industries have created a situation where there are literally thousands of information channels and venues, but a shrinking number of powerful hands that control the content therein. Our market's natural tendency toward concentration furiously drives companies toward oligopoly domination while effectively destroying media diversity. This concentration has ultimately resulted in the birth of conglomerates that exhibit an alarming control over every idea and message published through all mass media channels today.

Further indicative of this amalgamation tendency is the fact that, between 1982 and 2003, the number of news stations with news staff dropped from 98 percent to 67 percent, and half of the remaining staff members now work part time; indeed, fewer minds and bodies are required to cut-and-paste or regurgitate a single message than to create original, thought-provoking dialogue. The result is that while there may be many "channels" competing for the public's attention today, the information of many of these "channels" are cross-pollinated. It seems that if a propagandist wishes to capture the attention of his or her audience - and restrict the audiences' ability to verify information - he or she can do so easily, because the process is quickly becoming a matter of "one-stop propagation."

Marlin's discussion of the vast linguistic and nonverbal techniques used for propaganda leaves me with tremendous feelings of apprehension. I have great concern for my fellow Americans, our Bill of Rights, and the growing consolidation of our mass media industries. The more I grow to understand and identify each method employed by propagandists, the more I begin to realize the extent of the power of propaganda, and the damage that it causes. If America wishes to maintain a representative democracy, the information in this book is essential.