Illusion

Abstract

This chapter examines the nature of illusion and our vulnerability to it. Political leaders—especially those with an authoritarian bent—often use dehumanizing rhetoric as a means of persuasion because of its power to influence human behavior. First, they frighten us by getting us to think of some group of people as demons, monsters, or deadly predators. Then, they court our support by promising to save us from these terrors. The chapter considers those who are skilled in the dark arts of political persuasion as illusionists, who, under the right circumstances, can be difficult to resist. As such, it stresses the importance of understanding the nature of illusion in order to avoid being ensnared by dehumanizing rhetoric.