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

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.

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.

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

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

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

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.