{"product_id":"captive-minds-a-study-of-manipulation-9780674303102","title":"Captive Minds: A Study of Manipulation","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eFrom philosophers Avishai Margalit and Assaf Sharon, an erudite yet approachable inquiry into political manipulation and the grave threat it poses to human freedom today.\u003c\/b\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eManipulation 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. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eWhat 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. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003ePublic 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, \u003ci\u003eCaptive Minds\u003c\/i\u003e stands as the definitive study of a pervasive threat to political freedom and the increasingly fragile institutions that sustain it.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Avishai Margalit,Assaf Sharon\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Belknap Press\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 05\/05\/2026\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 288\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBinding Type:\u003c\/b\u003e Hardcover\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 1.22lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 9.57h x 6.35w x 0.91d\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN:\u003c\/b\u003e 9780674303102\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eReview Citation(s): \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eLibrary Journal\u003c\/i\u003e 04\/01\/2026 pg. 74\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eMargalit, Avishai:\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e - 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 \u003ci\u003eThe Decent Society\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003e The Ethics of Memory\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003e On Compromise and Rotten Compromises, \u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eOn Betrayal\u003c\/i\u003e.\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eSharon, Assaf:\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e - 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 \u003ci\u003eNew York Review of Books, Boston Review\u003c\/i\u003e, and \u003ci\u003eLiberties\u003c\/i\u003e.","brand":"booksdeli.com","offers":[{"title":"Avishai Margalit \/ Hardcover \/ English","offer_id":48229129715869,"sku":"9780674303102","price":35.94,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0619\/5648\/9373\/files\/img_e110362e-fcd6-44bc-b120-415c8ca3d323.jpg?v=1778575972","url":"https:\/\/booksdeli.com\/products\/captive-minds-a-study-of-manipulation-9780674303102","provider":"booksdeli.com","version":"1.0","type":"link"}