Propaganda and the Ethics of Persuasion

Communication technologies have always served the interests of those controlling them. And 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 that the future of the Internet will favour corporate interests. But the Internet has also opened up new possibilities for a politically effective counter-culture, as was demonstrated at the Seattle meeting of the World Trade Organization late in 1999.

This books aims to develop a sophisticated understanding of propaganda. It begins with a brief history of early western propaganda, introducing Ancient Greek classical theories of rhetoric and the art of persuasion and tracing developments through Christianity, the rise of the nation-state, World War I, Nazism and Communism. The core of the book, however, examines the ethical implications of various forms of persuasion. It looks at hate propaganda but also insidious elements of more generally acceptable communication such as advertising, public relations, and government information. It examines the case for legal controls and self-imposed restraints in the light of the freedom of expression guarantees provided in the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, but references are also made to situations in other countries.

Propaganda and the Ethics of Persuasion examines the art of persuasion but it also hopes to establish a "self-defense" resistance to propaganda.