Art of the Lie: How the Manipulation of Language Affects Our Minds
by Marcel Danesi
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This book shows how language can be used strategically to manipulate beliefs.
From Machiavelli to P. T. Barnum to Donald Trump, many have perfected the art of strategically using language to gain the upper hand, set a tone, change the subject, or influence people's beliefs and behaviors. Language--both words themselves and rhetorical tactics such as metaphor, irony, slang, and humor--can effectively manipulate the minds of the listener.
In this book, Marcel Danesi, a renowned linguistic anthropologist and semiotician, looks at language that is used not to present arguments logically or rationally, but to "move" audiences in order to gain their confidence and build consensus. He demonstrates that through language techniques communicators can not only sway opinions but also shape listeners' very perception of reality. He assesses how the communicative environment in which the art of the lie unfolds--such as on social media or in emotionally-charged gatherings--impacts the results.
Danesi also investigates why lies are often accepted as valid. Artful lying fits in with an Internet society that is largely disinterested in what is true and what is false and in which attention is often given to speech that is entertaining or persuasive. Have we become immune to lies because of a social media discourse shaped by untruths? In an electronic age where facts are deemed irrelevant and conspiracies are accorded as much credibility as truths, this book discusses the implications of lying and language for the future of belief, ethics, and American democracy itself.
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Book Details
- ISBN
- 9781633885967
- Binding
- Paperback
- Authors
- Marcel Danesi
- Publisher
- Prometheus Books
- Published Date
- January 6, 2020
- Language
- English
- Pages
- 256
- Physical Info
- 9 in L x 6.1 in W (0.9 lb)
A very thorough and entertaining explanation of how lying well is truly an art. Many prescient comments about Trumps first term.
Me ha gustado mucho el libro, aunque la realidad es que se podía llamar "Las mentiras de Trump" pues se centra todo el libro en el. Me hubiera gustado una mayor variedad de ejemplos, aunque a nivel teórico muy bueno.
In THE ART OF THE LIE, Marcel Danesi attempts an exceptionally difficult feat: to share his expertise and experience in linguistics while also pillorying Donald Trump along with swipes at Richard Nixon. In this reader's opinion, he fails to accomplish the first goal of sharing his insight into the manipulation of language for specific ends. Frankly, this is what I expected given the title and subtitle and the table of contents. Danesi is a skilled and interesting writer -- at least, that is what I want to believe because it was impossible to tell with his constant harping on a man he so clearly despises. Throughout the read, I kept hoping for other examples -- Donald Trump is by no means the only leader who has massaged language to his own advantage. All in all, unless you are passionately anti-Trump and enjoy having your opinion supported by an expert, don't waste your time trying to learn about the manipulation of language from a broader, deeper perspective. I received an advance reader of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for my unbiased review.
Based on the book's description, this novel was not at all what I was expecting. Given the author's educational pedigree I had expected a well researched and studious description of the linguistic features people deploy to manipulate each other using language. I anticipated the author to describe the specific linguistic characteristics that arise in mendacious speech. However, that is not what this book has.The author prefaces the book with the information that he will be using Donald Trump as his prime specimen to illustrate the various "arts" that liars use. So, we know from the start that Donald Trump will feature heavily in the book. However, what started as an intellectual study became more of a political piece and it was hard to continue. I want to be clear, I am not a supporter of the president either, but I don't think the examples that Mr. Danesi used were unquestionably fitting nor well-sourced. In one example, Mr. Denasi didn't find the exact quote from an unnamed political pundit - which would have been the most appropriate way to analyze the language - and instead chose to include a paraphrased version of the quote from memory. In another problematic example of a point, that was being presented in a laundry list of the comparisons to Mussolini was the assertion that the use of the word "real" in his Twitter handle is somehow a clever call to his followers that he the "people's warrior" who will defend America. This ignores the reality that there are many verified Twitter account users who use the same convention to differentiate them from fake accounts, for example, Kevin Hart and Liam Payne, for who we wouldn't make a similar claim. I was hoping to read more of an academic treatment of the various implements of the liar's playbook examples and references to academic journals and literature. There were references in the book but they were mostly to political books or news articles. In the end, there were too many issues for me, and I couldn't complete the entire book.Let me summarize my understanding of the book: from the author's perspective, Donald Trump is a liar-fascist whose followers are willing to believe and follow him because despite him obviously not being a true believer in the causes he supports because he furthers their racist causes and/or because they are easily influenced.
I picked this book up at the bookstore while on my way out to leave. The title is catchy but now that I am on page 102 I regret my decision to buy it. I thought the book would not be a biased hit piece, but it's mostly about correlating Trump as a fascist and portraying conservative media as mouth pieces for that view, all the while putting for a view like the following on page 102, " Never before in the history of the press have The New York Times and the Washington Post emerged as the bold and unswerving voices of justice and truth and their journalist as brave fighters." I have to say that that is pure fabrication, and a self-delusional lie the author believes himself. As for why people voted for Trump, the author doesn't balance out the conversation with going into the aspect that given the choice between the two parties, they would take the showman or the lawyer, given at least the showman knows he is lying and so does the audience, whereas the lawyer seriously believes their own lies as the truth but people can tell when on is putting on a fake laugh. Danesi could have done better at exposing the lies from the liberal side, instead he remained silent in that area and comes off as a biased author as acting as a political hack.I plan on reading the rest of the book with a hope of pulling out some truths about lying with all the political baggage. Sadly, I fear the rest of the book will be mostly about politics.
