Propaganda Does Not Have to be Good or Evil

Iago Ramos
University of Salamanca, Spain | iago.ramos@usal.es

Received: 30-April-2019 | Accepted: 1-June-2019 | Published: 6-July-2019
Disputatio [Dec. 2019], Vol. 8, No. 11, pp. 99-114 | DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.3425228
Article | [EN] | Full Text | Statistics | Copyright Notice [sp] | Vol. 8 No. 11

How to cite this article:
Ramos, Iago (2019). «Propaganda Does Not Have to be Good or Evil». Disputatio. Philosophical Research Bulletin 8, no. 11: pp. 99–114.

Abstract | This paper aims to demonstrate that, to discuss propaganda better, we ought to consider how its presence alters the dynamics of the milieu it influences. I examine Jason Stanley’s analysis of propaganda’s ability to undermine public deliberation and Jean-Jacques Rousseau’s defense of the use of propaganda for the establishment of egalitarian political communities, to conclude that propaganda does not have a wicked nature. To strengthen the claim, I introduce an analogy between propaganda and parasitism to illustrate that propaganda establishes a non-mutual relationship with the public mind.
Keywords | Deliberation · Democracy · Egalitarianism · Propaganda.

La propaganda no tiene que ser buena o mala

Resumen | Este artículo plantea que, para poder debatir correctamente la propaganda, debemos centrarnos en cómo esta modifica las dinámicas del medio en el que está presente. Tras cotejar el análisis que hace Jason Stanley de la capacidad que tiene la propaganda para socavar el debate público, y la defensa que hace Jean-Jacques Rousseau de su uso para establecer comunidades políticas igualitarias, se afirma que la propaganda no tiene una naturaleza perversa. Esta conclusión se refuerza introduciendo una analogía entre la propaganda y el parasitismo que ilustra cómo la relación que se establece entre propaganda y mente pública no es mutua.
Palabras Clave | Deliberación · Democracia · Igualitarismo · Propaganda.

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