Mind Control:
The Art, Science and Ethics of Persuasion

Over my years teaching critical thinking I have dedicated a lot of time to studying the psychology and neuroscience of influence and persuasion, and the tactics and methods used by “professional persuaders” — people whose job and livelihood involve finding ways to get you to believe things or do things that serve the interests of others (governments, corporations, politicians, advertisers, the bank accounts of con artists, etc.).

In this course I present what I’ve learned about these topics to you, in the hope that it may help you to perceive the worst forms of manipulation and persuasion for what they are, find ways of resisting or avoiding the negative effects of these manipulations, and ultimately help you to live a life of greater freedom and fulfillment.

Of course, this information can be used for good or ill. If you are drawn to the Dark Side you’ll find tools here that you can use to manipulate and control people, there’s no question about it. In this respect the science of influence and persuasion is no different from many other powerful tools (martial arts, firearms, nuclear weapons, …).

As a philosopher I’m also very interested in ethical issues that surround the use of these techniques. Are they always bad, or are there situations where their use is morally acceptable? If so, what are the principles that determine ethical versus unethical uses? Is there such a thing as “rational persuasion” that uses these psychological techniques?

In this course I’ll be exploring these ethical issues as well, and examining answers that have been given by others. In my view these are deeply important and challenging questions, but it’s an under-studied topic in philosophy. I would be happy if this course helped to stimulated new interest in the ethics of persuasion.

This is a text-based course. Lectures are updated on a weekly basis.

Note: This course is only available to Patreon supporters at the $10/month level or higher.

Please visit our Patreon page to learn more about how you can support the Critical Thinker Academy and gain access to bonus content like this.

$10/month supporters also get access to the following bonus course content:

"Q&A with Dr. K"

"How to Build a Compelling Moral Argument"

"How to Raise a Critical Thinker"