Description: Captive Minds is the definitive study of manipulation. Manipulation differs from other forms of deceit in that it aims to control people. Like coercion, it is a tool of domination, yet it operates without force. A clear danger to liberal democracy today, manipulation corrupts public opinion, calling into question the legitimacy of governments.
Brief description: 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.
Review Quotes: Margalit and Sharon give us a brilliant account of manipulation, showing it to be the central means of acquiring and exercising power today. By revealing how manipulation works, they enable us to work against it. Their book is a powerful call for democratic reason, beautifully illustrated with examples drawn from history and literature.--Michael Walzer, author of Just and Unjust Wars