
Manipulation
Its Nature, Mechanisms, and Moral Status
Robert Noggle(Author)
Oxford University Press
Published on 27. March 2025
Book
Hardback
278 pages
978-0-19-892489-0 (ISBN)
Description
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.
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.
Reviews / Votes
Noggle's Manipulation represents a significant contribution to moral philosophy. His rigorous and accessible approach establishes the book as a work of central importance. It is sure to shape all future discussions of manipulation in philosophy. * Sophie Gibert, Ethics *More details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
Oxford
United Kingdom
Target group
College/higher education
Product notice
sewn/stitched
Cloth over boards
Dimensions
Height: 239 mm
Width: 165 mm
Thickness: 24 mm
Weight
599 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-19-892489-0 (9780198924890)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Person
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.
Content
1: Introduction 2: Thirteen Forms of Ordinary Manipulation 3: Nine Accounts of Manipulation 4: A Unified Account of Manipulation 5: Perspective, Intent, and Manipulation 6: The Mistake Account: Definitions and Defense 7: Mistakes and Manipulation 8: The Psychology of Manipulation 9: Manipulation and Morality 10: Exotic Influences and Problem Cases 11: Ordinary Influences: Applying the Mistake Account