Captive Minds : A Study of Manipulation

Assaf Sharon

ISBN 10: 0674303105 / ISBN 13: 9780674303102

Published by Harvard University Press Mai 2026, 2026

About this Item

Neuware - From philosophers Avishai Margalit and Assaf Sharon, an erudite yet approachable inquiry into political manipulation and the grave threat it poses to human freedom today.Manipulation is as old as history itself, yet Aldous Huxley's paraphrase of Churchill rings truer than ever: 'never have so many been manipulated so much by so few.' Manipulation presents a clear danger to liberal democracy today. Demagogues undermine civic discussion, and propagandists and conspiracy theorists create cognitive traps that erode critical thinking.What exactly is manipulation, and what sets it apart from other forms of influence How does it differ from convincing, attracting, or nudging Drawing on examples from mythology, literature, history, and politics, philosophers Margalit and Sharon argue that manipulation is not just a form of deceit and intellectual harm; it is, above all, an exercise of power. Manipulation exploits mental weaknesses and vulnerabilities with the goal of establishing control. Whereas liberal philosophers overlook manipulation, instead treating coercion as the primary form of political domination, Margalit and Sharon argue that manipulation should be seen as coercion's insidious counterpart in undermining human freedom.Public support is fundamental to the legitimacy of government. Today, political manipulation is corrupting the formation and expression of public opinion, making manipulation a driving force of the global crisis of democratic decline. A timely work, but also a work for all times, Captive Minds stands as the definitive study of a pervasive threat to political freedom and the increasingly fragile institutions that sustain it.

Seller Inventory # 9780674303102

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Captive Minds : A Study of Manipulation
• Publisher: Harvard University Press Mai 2026
• Publication Date: 2026
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0674303105
• ISBN 13: 9780674303102
• Binding: Buch
• Condition: Neu
• Dimensions: 240W x 162H x 29D millimeters 240 millimeters width by 162 millimeters height by 29 millimeters depth
• Weight: 556 grams

About this title

Synopsis

From philosophers Avishai Margalit and Assaf Sharon, an erudite yet approachable inquiry into political manipulation and the grave threat it poses to human freedom today.

Manipulation is as old as history itself, yet Aldous Huxley’s paraphrase of Churchill rings truer than ever: “never have so many been manipulated so much by so few.” Manipulation presents a clear danger to liberal democracy today. Demagogues undermine civic discussion, and propagandists and conspiracy theorists create cognitive traps that erode critical thinking.

What exactly is manipulation, and what sets it apart from other forms of influence? How does it differ from convincing, attracting, or nudging? Drawing on examples from mythology, literature, history, and politics, philosophers Margalit and Sharon argue that manipulation is not just a form of deceit and intellectual harm; it is, above all, an exercise of power. Manipulation exploits mental weaknesses and vulnerabilities with the goal of establishing control. Whereas liberal philosophers overlook manipulation, instead treating coercion as the primary form of political domination, Margalit and Sharon argue that manipulation should be seen as coercion’s insidious counterpart in undermining human freedom.

Public support is fundamental to the legitimacy of government. Today, political manipulation is corrupting the formation and expression of public opinion, making manipulation a driving force of the global crisis of democratic decline. A timely work, but also a work for all times, Captive Minds stands as the definitive study of a pervasive threat to political freedom and the increasingly fragile institutions that sustain it.

About the Authors

Avishai Margalit is Professor Emeritus of Philosophy at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and former George F. Kennan Professor at the Institute for Advanced Study at Princeton. The recipient of numerous prizes, he is the author of The Decent Society, The Ethics of Memory, On Compromise and Rotten Compromises, and On Betrayal.

Assaf Sharon is Professor of Philosophy at Tel Aviv University. Cofounder and Senior Fellow at Molad: The Center for the Renewal of Israeli Democracy, he has written for the New York Review of Books, Boston Review, and Liberties.