The Persuaders: The hidden industry that wants to change your mind

Description

Every day, many people will try to change your mind, but they won't reason with you. Instead, you'll be nudged, anchored, incentivised and manipulated in barely noticeable ways. It's a profound shift in the way we interact with one another. Philosopher James Garvey explores the hidden story of persuasion and the men and women in the business of changing our minds. From the covert PR used to start the first Gulf War to the neuromarketing of products to appeal to our unconscious minds, he reveals the dark arts practised by professional persuaders. How did we end up with a world where beliefs are mass-produced by lobbyists and PR firms? Could Google or Facebook swing elections? Are new kinds of persuasion making us less likely to live happy, decent lives in an open, peaceful world? Is it too late, or can we learn to listen to reason again? The Persuaders is a call to think again about how we think now.

James Garvey works for the Royal Institute of Philosophy and edits The Philosophers' Magazine. He is the author of a number of books, including The Story of Philosophy (with Jeremy Stangroom) and The Ethics of Climate Change. He has written for the Guardian, The Times Literary Supplement, the Huffington Post, the New Statesman, and the Times Higher Education Supplement, does voluntary work for Thames Reach and Crisis, teaches jiu jitsu, and is an enthusiastic cyclist. James was born in California, grew up in West Virginia and he now lives on a canal boat in London, UK.

'The author worries, rightly, that in losing the ability to argue and question intelligently we become more susceptible to the subtle and unseen skills of powerful persuaders.' * Financial Times *