Philosophy in the Community: How Does Propaganda Work?
A public talk by Pierre-Francois Noppen (PhD), professor of philosophy
Date: Friday, Jan. 9, 2026
Time: 7 pm
Location: Emmanuel Anglican Church, 607 Dufferin Ave. (The Refinery)
Free and open to the public
About this event
The question of propaganda is once again at the forefront of political actuality. Once again, the issue is tied to the way new communication technologies are used as means of mass manipulation. What makes the phenomenon puzzling lies perhaps in the fact that, while propaganda seems easy to identify, it is nevertheless effective. So how does propaganda work? How can it be effective at all? In this talk, I will examine classical and recent propaganda models. In particular, I will argue that to understand how propaganda works, we need (1) to recognize the core epistemic problem that political life poses and (2) to move beyond standard models for communication and meaning-making.
Philosophy in the Community is a free lecture and discussion series sponsored by the USask Department of Philosophy. Learn more.
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