Jacques Ellul - Propaganda
The Formation of Men's Attitudes
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Today’s book is:
Propaganda: The Formation of Men's Attitudes by Jacques Ellul
Jacques Ellul was a French philosopher and Christian anarchist. He served as professor of history and the sociology of institutions on the Faculty of Law and Economic Sciences at the University of Bordeaux for many years. Although he was trained as a sociologist, Ellul is considered a philosopher with a particular interest in technology and the possibility of technological tyranny. He is said to have coined the phrase "Think globally, act locally." Among his books are Propaganda, The Political Illusion, The Theological Foundation of Law, The Meaning of the City, and many others. Jacques Ellul passed away in 1994 at the age of 82.
This seminal study and critique of propaganda from one of the greatest French philosophers of the 20th century is as relevant today as when it was first published in 1962. Taking not only a psychological approach, but a sociological approach as well, Ellul’s book outlines the taxonomy for propaganda, and ultimately, it’s destructive nature towards democracy. Drawing from his own experiences fighting for the French resistance against the Vichy regime, Ellul offers a unique insight into the propaganda machine.
You can buy the book here.
Mark Crispin Miller was a propagandist teaching professor at NYU until they canceled his courses during Covid. Shocking. He has a Substack as well. There are some intriguing interviews with him out there too on the topic of propaganda.
So sad in US now. So many clueless they are going nuts due to non stop propaganda. No one should be surprised it was Obama who reversed the Propaganda laws in the U.S. nor should anyone be surprised non stop MENTAL HEALTH information goes along with it.
Most Americans believe it is other countries under constant propaganda attacks. Little do they know the root cause as to what is driving them nuts here.
It's behind a paywall, but if you can get a copy of Ellul's 1957 article titled "information and propaganda" in the journal Diogenes, you'll find a nice succinct summary of the book. If you're looking for a shorter read, but still something meaty.
The introduction to the book by Kellen also has a lovely little summary of Ellul's analysis: "... modern propaganda cannot work without 'education'; he thus reverses the widespread notion that education is the best prophylactic against propaganda. ... education, or what usually goes by that word in the modern world, is the absolute prerequisite for propaganda. ... intellectuals [are] virtually the most vulnerable to all of modern propaganda, for three reasons: (1) they absorb the largest amount of secondhand, unverifiable information; (2) they feel a compelling need to have an opinion on every important question of our time, and thus easily succumb to opinions offered to them by propaganda... (3) they consider themselves capable of 'judging for themselves.' They literally need propaganda."