Propaganda, Jacques Ellul
Propaganda, Jacques Ellul
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Propaganda
The Formation of Men’s Attitudes

Author: Jacques Ellul, Konrad Kellen, Jean Lerner, Robert K. Merton

Narrator: Arthur Morey

Unabridged: 15 hr 35 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 05/29/2021

Synopsis

From one of the greatest French philosophers of the twentieth century comes a seminal study and critique of propaganda. Taking not only a psychological approach but a sociological approach as well, Jacques Ellul outlines the taxonomy for propaganda and, ultimately, it’s destructive nature towards democracy.Drawing from his own experiences fighting for the French resistance against the Vichy regime, Ellul offers a unique insight into the propaganda machine.

About Jacques Ellul

Jacques Ellul (1912–1994) was a French philosopher and Christian anarchist. He served for many years as professor of history and the sociology of institutions at the University of Bordeaux. Although he was trained as a sociologist, he is considered a philosopher with a particular interest in technology and the possibility of technological tyranny. He is said to have coined the phrase “Think globally, act locally.” Among his books are Propaganda, The Political Illusion, The Theological Foundation of Law, The Meaning of the City, and many others.

About Arthur Morey

Arthur Morey has won three AudioFile Magazine “Best Of” Awards, and his work has garnered numerous AudioFile Earphones Awards and placed him as a finalist for two Audie Awards. He has acted in a number of productions, both off Broadway in New York and off Loop in Chicago. He graduated from Harvard and did graduate work at the University of Chicago. He has won awards for his fiction and drama, worked as an editor with several book publishers, and taught literature and writing at Northwestern University. His plays and songs have been produced in New York, Chicago, and Milan, where he has also performed.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Brian on January 21, 2008

This is the third book concerning technology and society that really changed the way I think about the world. As with The Technological Society and Mumford's Pentagon of Power, this book contains many ideas and concepts that turn our normal worldviews upside down. He states that Propaganda is necess......more

Goodreads review by David on November 22, 2016

Wow. My biggest take-away from this book is a question - what would Ellul say today? Because the way he talked about the power of propaganda, what it does to people and the threat it is to democracy and thought seems incredibly relevant to today. Ellul books are always a bit tough, but certainly wor......more

Goodreads review by Jeff on September 13, 2012

This is, put quite simply, a MUST read. It was written shortly after WWII and focuses on the propaganda machine of Goebbels. It is shocking how much of what is described in this book is the norm in today's "quality" of discourse. Truly prophetic.......more

Goodreads review by Davis on December 20, 2023

If you were to read one book to understand America today, it would be this one. After you've finished it, you will never look at the two-party system, social media, the news, advertisements, and the basic assumptions of the contemporary West the same way again. This is the definitive analysis and cr......more

Quotes

“The theme of Propaganda is quite simply…that when our new technology encompasses any culture or society, the result is propaganda…Ellul has made many splendid contributions in this book.” Marshall McLuhan, Book Week

“A far more frightening work than any of the nightmare novels of George Orwell. With the logic which is the great instrument of French thought, [Ellul] explores and attempts to prove the thesis that propaganda, whether its ends are demonstrably good or bad, is not only destructive to democracy, it is perhaps the most serious threat to humanity operating in the modern world.” Los Angeles Times

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