Propaganda

Edward Bernays, the author of Propaganda, defined a practitioner of the profession of "counsel on public relations" as a "practicing social scientist" whose "competence is like that of the industrial engineer, the management engineer, or the investment counselor in their respective fields." He states that to assist clients, public relations counselors use and apply their understanding of behavioral sciences such as anthropology, history, social p... more

Edward Bernays, the author of Propaganda, defined a practitioner of the profession of "counsel on public relations" as a "practicing social scientist" whose "competence is like that of the industrial engineer, the management engineer, or the investment counselor in their respective fields." He states that to assist clients, public relations counselors use and apply their understanding of behavioral sciences such as anthropology, history, social psychology, and sociology. In Propaganda, Bernays argued that the scientific manipulation of public opinion was necessary to overcome chaos and conflict in society: Bernays defined modern propaganda as "a consistent, enduring effort to create or shape events to influence the relations of the public to an enterprise, idea, or group." In this way, its role in society is to both act as a method of communication and as a tool for public relations officials. One of the central concepts Bernays proposes is not to sell a product, but instead to sell... less