The Status of the Propaganda Theorist: A Rejoinder
In Propaganda Talk (1988), Dennis Rohatyn’s fictional spokesperson argues that even those (including Jacques Ellul) who analyse and discuss propaganda are themselves propagandists. This ‘membership claim’ seriously misrepresents the agency of the propaganda theorist. Different aims and epistemic va...
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1994-01-01
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doaj-89711bbcbee740db9ccae5444a70cae32020-11-25T02:53:18ZengUniversity of WindsorInformal Logic0824-25772293-734X1994-01-0116210.22329/il.v16i2.2446The Status of the Propaganda Theorist: A RejoinderStanley B. Cunningham In Propaganda Talk (1988), Dennis Rohatyn’s fictional spokesperson argues that even those (including Jacques Ellul) who analyse and discuss propaganda are themselves propagandists. This ‘membership claim’ seriously misrepresents the agency of the propaganda theorist. Different aims and epistemic values distinguish the actions of the theorist from those of the propagandist. Frontline propagandists prefer to use truth, but only because of its strategic utility. Most of all they value belief and credibility, and their principal aim is to modify behavior. Propaganda theorists, by contrast, esteem truthfulness (or “knowing well”); and their principal aim is to understand and to disclose propaganda as a social phenomenon. https://informallogic.ca/index.php/informal_logic/article/view/2446Propagandapropaganda theoristcommunicationbelieftruthEllul |
collection |
DOAJ |
language |
English |
format |
Article |
sources |
DOAJ |
author |
Stanley B. Cunningham |
spellingShingle |
Stanley B. Cunningham The Status of the Propaganda Theorist: A Rejoinder Informal Logic Propaganda propaganda theorist communication belief truth Ellul |
author_facet |
Stanley B. Cunningham |
author_sort |
Stanley B. Cunningham |
title |
The Status of the Propaganda Theorist: A Rejoinder |
title_short |
The Status of the Propaganda Theorist: A Rejoinder |
title_full |
The Status of the Propaganda Theorist: A Rejoinder |
title_fullStr |
The Status of the Propaganda Theorist: A Rejoinder |
title_full_unstemmed |
The Status of the Propaganda Theorist: A Rejoinder |
title_sort |
status of the propaganda theorist: a rejoinder |
publisher |
University of Windsor |
series |
Informal Logic |
issn |
0824-2577 2293-734X |
publishDate |
1994-01-01 |
description |
In Propaganda Talk (1988), Dennis Rohatyn’s fictional spokesperson argues that even those (including Jacques Ellul) who analyse and discuss propaganda are themselves propagandists. This ‘membership claim’ seriously misrepresents the agency of the propaganda theorist. Different aims and epistemic values distinguish the actions of the theorist from those of the propagandist. Frontline propagandists prefer to use truth, but only because of its strategic utility. Most of all they value belief and credibility, and their principal aim is to modify behavior. Propaganda theorists, by contrast, esteem truthfulness (or “knowing well”); and their principal aim is to understand and to disclose propaganda as a social phenomenon.
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topic |
Propaganda propaganda theorist communication belief truth Ellul |
url |
https://informallogic.ca/index.php/informal_logic/article/view/2446 |
work_keys_str_mv |
AT stanleybcunningham thestatusofthepropagandatheoristarejoinder AT stanleybcunningham statusofthepropagandatheoristarejoinder |
_version_ |
1724725361323802624 |