Manipulation: Its Nature, Mechanisms, and Moral Status
Gaslighting, flattery, misdirection, nagging, emotional blackmail, charm offensives, playing on emotions. These are all examples of ordinary manipulation. Such manipulation is common in everyday life, which is unfortunate, since manipulation seems like a bad thing. Manipulation: Its Nature, Mechanisms, and Moral Status answers three questions about manipulation: what is it, how does it work, and why is it bad? Addressing the first question requires us to find something that all forms of manipulation have in common, but which is not shared by other forms of influence. Robert Noggle argues that the common feature of all forms of ordinary manipulation is that they are mistake-inducing. This idea is the basis for the Mistake Account of manipulation, which defines manipulation as a kind of influence that operates by introducing a mistake into the mental states or processes of the person being influenced.

To explain how manipulation works, this book explores the psychological levers that manipulators use to get us to make the mistakes that will get us to do what they want. These include various cognitive and decision-making biases, our tendency to choose the lesser good over the greater good when the lesser good is immediately available, and the simple fact that human reason is an imperfect thing. To explain why manipulation seems like a bad thing, Noggle first argues that, while manipulation is always presumptively immoral, it can be justified in extreme situations. He then shows that manipulation's presumptive immorality derives from the fact that it involves getting someone to make a mistake, and making a mistake is a bad thing. However, the most morally egregious instances of manipulation also have bad effects on well-being and autonomy. This book concludes by applying the Mistake Account to various influences, including priming, conditioning, nudges, advertising, sales, and online influences.
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Manipulation: Its Nature, Mechanisms, and Moral Status
Gaslighting, flattery, misdirection, nagging, emotional blackmail, charm offensives, playing on emotions. These are all examples of ordinary manipulation. Such manipulation is common in everyday life, which is unfortunate, since manipulation seems like a bad thing. Manipulation: Its Nature, Mechanisms, and Moral Status answers three questions about manipulation: what is it, how does it work, and why is it bad? Addressing the first question requires us to find something that all forms of manipulation have in common, but which is not shared by other forms of influence. Robert Noggle argues that the common feature of all forms of ordinary manipulation is that they are mistake-inducing. This idea is the basis for the Mistake Account of manipulation, which defines manipulation as a kind of influence that operates by introducing a mistake into the mental states or processes of the person being influenced.

To explain how manipulation works, this book explores the psychological levers that manipulators use to get us to make the mistakes that will get us to do what they want. These include various cognitive and decision-making biases, our tendency to choose the lesser good over the greater good when the lesser good is immediately available, and the simple fact that human reason is an imperfect thing. To explain why manipulation seems like a bad thing, Noggle first argues that, while manipulation is always presumptively immoral, it can be justified in extreme situations. He then shows that manipulation's presumptive immorality derives from the fact that it involves getting someone to make a mistake, and making a mistake is a bad thing. However, the most morally egregious instances of manipulation also have bad effects on well-being and autonomy. This book concludes by applying the Mistake Account to various influences, including priming, conditioning, nudges, advertising, sales, and online influences.
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Manipulation: Its Nature, Mechanisms, and Moral Status

Manipulation: Its Nature, Mechanisms, and Moral Status

by Robert Noggle
Manipulation: Its Nature, Mechanisms, and Moral Status

Manipulation: Its Nature, Mechanisms, and Moral Status

by Robert Noggle

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Overview

Gaslighting, flattery, misdirection, nagging, emotional blackmail, charm offensives, playing on emotions. These are all examples of ordinary manipulation. Such manipulation is common in everyday life, which is unfortunate, since manipulation seems like a bad thing. Manipulation: Its Nature, Mechanisms, and Moral Status answers three questions about manipulation: what is it, how does it work, and why is it bad? Addressing the first question requires us to find something that all forms of manipulation have in common, but which is not shared by other forms of influence. Robert Noggle argues that the common feature of all forms of ordinary manipulation is that they are mistake-inducing. This idea is the basis for the Mistake Account of manipulation, which defines manipulation as a kind of influence that operates by introducing a mistake into the mental states or processes of the person being influenced.

To explain how manipulation works, this book explores the psychological levers that manipulators use to get us to make the mistakes that will get us to do what they want. These include various cognitive and decision-making biases, our tendency to choose the lesser good over the greater good when the lesser good is immediately available, and the simple fact that human reason is an imperfect thing. To explain why manipulation seems like a bad thing, Noggle first argues that, while manipulation is always presumptively immoral, it can be justified in extreme situations. He then shows that manipulation's presumptive immorality derives from the fact that it involves getting someone to make a mistake, and making a mistake is a bad thing. However, the most morally egregious instances of manipulation also have bad effects on well-being and autonomy. This book concludes by applying the Mistake Account to various influences, including priming, conditioning, nudges, advertising, sales, and online influences.

Product Details

ISBN-13: 9780198924890
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Publication date: 06/27/2025
Series: New Topics in Applied Philosophy
Pages: 288
Product dimensions: 6.30(w) x 9.45(h) x 0.79(d)

About the Author

Robert Noggle, Professor of Philosophy, Central Michigan University

Robert Noggle earned his Ph.D. in philosophy from the University of Illinois at Chicago in 1996. He is currently Professor of Philosophy at Central Michigan University. He has written extensively on manipulation and the ethics of influence in such venues as American Philosophical Quarterly, Bioethics, the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy and the Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Politics. His other current philosophical interests include philosophical psychopathology, ethical issues related to children, and the limits of moral obligation. He has also written about personal autonomy, the non-identity problem, and desire-based theories of well-being.

Table of Contents

1. Introduction2. Thirteen Forms of Ordinary Manipulation3. Nine Accounts of Manipulation4. A Unified Account of Manipulation5. Perspective, Intent, and Manipulation6. The Mistake Account: Definitions and Defense7. Mistakes and Manipulation8. The Psychology of Manipulation9. Manipulation and Morality10. Exotic Influences and Problem Cases11. Ordinary Influences: Applying the Mistake Account
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