by Jason Stanley (Princeton University Press, £19.95)
Jason Stanley’s How Propaganda Works is a philosophical account of the dangers posed by propaganda and what Noam Chomsky called the “manufacturing of consent” in western democracies. Stanley defines propaganda as “the employment of a political ideal against itself”; in other words, a propagandist is someone who presents subjective values or self-interested goals disguised as objective ones. He argues that an understanding of propaganda and its mechanism is essential for the preservation and protection of liberal democracies.
Starting from the premise that propaganda is largely associated with totalitarian police states, Stanley warns that propaganda also poses a threat to democracy by its continued misuse of democratic vocabulary, which has allowed powerful interest groups to perpetuate inequalities in society. He cites as historical examples racial injustice and the restructuring of the US public school system at the turn of the 20th century.
This ambitious book draws on a range of disciplines to supplement its philosophical approach, including feminist theory, epistemology, sociology and social theory, but, surprisingly, there is no recognition of the work carried out by historians. This is a pity. Propaganda is ethically neutral—it can be good or bad. Effective propaganda is as much about reinforcing existing beliefs and prejudices as it is about changing attitudes. In democracies, politics has nothing to fear from propaganda. It is a process of persuasion that forms a normal part of the political dynamic. You could even argue that we need more of it, not less.
Jason Stanley’s How Propaganda Works is a philosophical account of the dangers posed by propaganda and what Noam Chomsky called the “manufacturing of consent” in western democracies. Stanley defines propaganda as “the employment of a political ideal against itself”; in other words, a propagandist is someone who presents subjective values or self-interested goals disguised as objective ones. He argues that an understanding of propaganda and its mechanism is essential for the preservation and protection of liberal democracies.
Starting from the premise that propaganda is largely associated with totalitarian police states, Stanley warns that propaganda also poses a threat to democracy by its continued misuse of democratic vocabulary, which has allowed powerful interest groups to perpetuate inequalities in society. He cites as historical examples racial injustice and the restructuring of the US public school system at the turn of the 20th century.
This ambitious book draws on a range of disciplines to supplement its philosophical approach, including feminist theory, epistemology, sociology and social theory, but, surprisingly, there is no recognition of the work carried out by historians. This is a pity. Propaganda is ethically neutral—it can be good or bad. Effective propaganda is as much about reinforcing existing beliefs and prejudices as it is about changing attitudes. In democracies, politics has nothing to fear from propaganda. It is a process of persuasion that forms a normal part of the political dynamic. You could even argue that we need more of it, not less.
