FromMachiavellitoP.T.BarnumtoDonaldTrump,manyhaveperfectedtheartofstrategicallyusinglanguagetogaintheupperhand,setatone,changethesubject,orinfluencepeople’sbeliefsandbehaviors.Language--bothwordsthemselvesandrhetoricaltacticssuchasmetaphor,irony,slang,andhumor--caneffectivelymanipulatethemindsofthelistener.Inthisbook,MarcelDanesi,arenownedlinguisticanthropologistandsemiotician,looksatlanguagethatisusednottopresentargumentslogicallyorrationally,butto“move“audiencesinordertogaintheirconfidenceandbuildconsensus.Hedemonstratesthatthroughlanguagetechniquescommunicatorscannotonlyswayopinionsbutalsoshapelisteners’veryperceptionofreality.Heassesseshowthecommunicativeenvironmentinwhichtheartofthelieunfolds--suchasonsocialmediaorinemotionally-chargedgatherings--impactstheresults.Danesialsoinvestigateswhyliesareoftenacceptedasvalid.ArtfullyingfitsinwithanInternetsocietythatislargelydisinterestedinwhatistrueandwhatisfalseandinwhichattentionisoftengiventospeechthatisentertainingorpersuasive.Havewebecomeimmunetoliesbecauseofasocialmediadiscourseshapedbyuntruths?Inanelectronicagewherefactsaredeemedirrelevantandconspiraciesareaccordedasmuchcredibilityastruths,thisbookdiscussestheimplicationsoflyingandlanguageforthefutureofbelief,ethics,andAmericandemocracyitself.
