Randal Marlin Quotes

• When you give false information you tend to restrict the freedom of choice to others.

  Randal Marlin

  Giving, Choices, Information

  Randal Marlin (2013). “Propaganda and the Ethics of Persuasion - Second Edition”, p.153, Broadview Press

  6 Copy quote

• Once we recognize the power of propaganda, we need to ask whether its exercise is consistent with those democratic ideals to which lip-service is commonly accorded.

  Randal Marlin

  Exercise, Democratic Ideals, Lips

  Randal Marlin (2002). “Propaganda and the Ethics of Persuasion”, p.13, Broadview Press

  7 Copy quote

• Aristotle writes that persuasion is based on three things: the ethos, or personal character of the speaker; the pathos, or getting the audience into the right kind of emotional receptivity; and the logos, or the argument itself, carried out by abbreviated syllogisms, or something like deductive syllogisms, and by the use of example.

  Randal Marlin

  Writing, Character, Emotional

  Randal Marlin (2013). “Propaganda and the Ethics of Persuasion - Second Edition”, p.39, Broadview Press

  12 Copy quote

• We live in a time when complex ethical questions are easily subordinated to the demands of efficiency, profit maximization, and maintenance or furthering of political power.

  Randal Marlin

  Ethical Questions, Political, Maintenance

  Randal Marlin (2013). “Propaganda and the Ethics of Persuasion - Second Edition”, p.30, Broadview Press

  57 Copy quote

• To avoid repeating the mistakes of the past, an alert citizenry today should take the trouble to learn how easy it can be for a powerful minority to manipulate information to win the support-or the indifference-of the majority towards an action.

  Randal Marlin

  Powerful, Mistake, Winning

  Randal Marlin (2002). “Propaganda and the Ethics of Persuasion”, p.14, Broadview Press

  5 Copy quote

• There are many other ways in which language can be used to manipulate an audience. one obvious way is to simply lie.

  Randal Marlin

  Lying, Way, Language

  Randal Marlin (2013). “Propaganda and the Ethics of Persuasion - Second Edition”, p.106, Broadview Press

  5 Copy quote

• When we look for propaganda, we have the obvious job of asking what messages are being propagated.

  Randal Marlin

  Jobs, Looks, Asking

  Randal Marlin (2002). “Propaganda and the Ethics of Persuasion”, p.302, Broadview Press

  4 Copy quote

• Down to the present day the luminous image of democracy has often served as a pretext for the most undemocratic actions.

  Randal Marlin

  Democracies Have, Democracy, Action

  Randal Marlin (2002). “Propaganda and the Ethics of Persuasion”, p.45, Broadview Press

  4 Copy quote

• The special harm attaching to prior restraint is that the government can keep materials from reaching the public, so there can be no accountability, no judgment by the people that the power to suppress was wrongly exercised.

  Randal Marlin

  Government, People, Accountability

  Randal Marlin (2013). “Propaganda and the Ethics of Persuasion - Second Edition”, p.219, Broadview Press

  4 Copy quote

• The liar wants to be believed, but lying undermines the foundation for credibility.

  Randal Marlin

  Liars, Lying, Foundation

  Randal Marlin (2013). “Propaganda and the Ethics of Persuasion - Second Edition”, p.153, Broadview Press

  6 Copy quote

• When we consider propaganda as the attempt to shape the thoughts and feelings of others, in ways conforming to the aims of the communicator, we find a vast array of different examples throughout history.

  Randal Marlin

  Feelings, Example, Different

  Randal Marlin (2002). “Propaganda and the Ethics of Persuasion”, p.43, Broadview Press

  5 Copy quote

• Any restrictions to freedom of expression will always open the door to possible others, because analogical reasoning can mount arguments showing why this or that class of objects is closely similar to those for which exceptions have been made.

  Randal Marlin

  Doors, Expression, Class

  Randal Marlin (2002). “Propaganda and the Ethics of Persuasion”, p.230, Broadview Press

  8 Copy quote

• It is true that advertising often gives information and is valuable for doing so, but some forms of advertising give precious little information, and even that little is wrong.

  Randal Marlin

  Giving, Littles, Information

  Randal Marlin (2002). “Propaganda and the Ethics of Persuasion”, p.176, Broadview Press

  4 Copy quote

• There is arguably something wrong with a method of persuasion that cannot pass the test of publicity.

  Randal Marlin

  Tests, Publicity, Persuasion

  Randal Marlin (2013). “Propaganda and the Ethics of Persuasion - Second Edition”, p.170, Broadview Press

  4 Copy quote

• Since the time of Plato and Aristotle philosophers have had an interest in taking note of common fallacies in reasoning.

  Randal Marlin

  Plato, Philosopher, Common

  Randal Marlin (2013). “Propaganda and the Ethics of Persuasion - Second Edition”, p.110, Broadview Press

  4 Copy quote

• Anyone familiar with the marvels of the Worldwide Web can hardly fail to see that we have entered a new era in communications on a scale perhaps comparable to the invention of the Gutenberg press.

  Randal Marlin

  Communication, Gutenberg, Eras

  Randal Marlin (2002). “Propaganda and the Ethics of Persuasion”, p.284, Broadview Press

  7 Copy quote

• Propaganda analysis can contribute to world peace by exposing those techniques that lead to armed conflict by creating misapprehension of reality.

  Randal Marlin

  Reality, Creating, Technique

  Randal Marlin (2002). “Propaganda and the Ethics of Persuasion”, p.305, Broadview Press

  4 Copy quote

• Party politics in modern democratic society means pandering to a wide variety of different groups and sympathizing with their often quite base motives, such as revenge, power, booty, and spoils, to maintain the necessary level of support.

  Randal Marlin

  Revenge, Party, Mean

  Randal Marlin (2013). “Propaganda and the Ethics of Persuasion - Second Edition”, p.159, Broadview Press

  4 Copy quote

• In modern times sound policy-making must often come to grips with numbers.

  Randal Marlin

  Policy Making, Numbers, Sound

  Randal Marlin (2013). “Propaganda and the Ethics of Persuasion - Second Edition”, p.118, Broadview Press

  4 Copy quote

• Small town people assume you are a friend if you simply remember their names.

  Randal Marlin

  Names, People, Towns

  Randal Marlin (2013). “Propaganda and the Ethics of Persuasion - Second Edition”, p.43, Broadview Press

  4 Copy quote

• Exposure as a propagandist is fatal to the would-be persuader.

  Randal Marlin

  Would Be, Exposure, Propagandist

  Randal Marlin (2013). “Propaganda and the Ethics of Persuasion - Second Edition”, p.91, Broadview Press

  4 Copy quote

• If war is glorified, it tends to eclipse the policies it is meant to serve.

  Randal Marlin

  War, Eclipse, Policy

  Randal Marlin (2002). “Propaganda and the Ethics of Persuasion”, p.59, Broadview Press

  4 Copy quote

• The specific media may change, but the principles of human nature have remained fairly constant over the millenia.

  Randal Marlin

  Media, Principles, Human Nature

  "Propaganda and the Ethics of Persuasion". Book by Randal Marlin, 1989.

  4 Copy quote

• There are many special interests skilful at manipulating circumstances and communications in such a way as to benefit their own ends and not necessarily the public good.

  Randal Marlin

  Communication, Special, Benefits

  Randal Marlin (2002). “Propaganda and the Ethics of Persuasion”, p.9, Broadview Press

  4 Copy quote

• The best goal for propaganda analysis is to develop such an understanding of the phenomenon that it will no longer be profitable for people to engage in it.

  Randal Marlin

  People, Goal, Understanding

  Randal Marlin (2013). “Propaganda and the Ethics of Persuasion - Second Edition”, p.339, Broadview Press

  4 Copy quote

You May Also Like:

Jacques Ellul

John Zerzan

Cornelius Castoriadis

Paul Virilio

Alfred Harmsworth, 1st Viscount Northcliffe

Gregory A. Boyd

Christopher Lasch

William Stringfellow