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The Instability of Truth: Brainwashing, Mind Control, and Hyper-Persuasion
An acclaimed historian of science uncovers the history of brainwashing—and its troubling implications for today.
Because brainwashing affects both the world and our observation of the world, we often cannot recognize it while it’s happening—unless we know where to look. In The Instability of Truth, Rebecca Lemov exposes the myriad ways our minds can be controlled against our will, exploring the history of brainwashing techniques from those employed against POWs in North Korea to the “soft” brainwashing of social media doomscrolling and behavior-shaping.
Lemov reveals that anyone can fall victim to mind control, especially in our increasingly data-driven world, and identifies invasive forms of emotional engineering that exploit trauma and addiction to create coercion and persuasion in everyday life. Offering lessons learned from mind-control episodes past and present, Lemov equips us for the increasing challenges we face from social media, AI, and an unprecedented, global form of surveillance capitalism.
Because brainwashing affects both the world and our observation of the world, we often cannot recognize it while it’s happening—unless we know where to look. In The Instability of Truth, Rebecca Lemov exposes the myriad ways our minds can be controlled against our will, exploring the history of brainwashing techniques from those employed against POWs in North Korea to the “soft” brainwashing of social media doomscrolling and behavior-shaping.
Lemov reveals that anyone can fall victim to mind control, especially in our increasingly data-driven world, and identifies invasive forms of emotional engineering that exploit trauma and addiction to create coercion and persuasion in everyday life. Offering lessons learned from mind-control episodes past and present, Lemov equips us for the increasing challenges we face from social media, AI, and an unprecedented, global form of surveillance capitalism.
464 pages, Hardcover
Published March 25, 2025
23 people are currently reading
4,730 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
March 3, 2025
The beginning of the novel focuses heavily on historical beliefs surrounding brainwashing, as well as the accuracy of those beliefs and practices. It's interesting to learn about. It also includes information about its use during modern history. The historical information seems well researched, and is explained well.
The book feels significantly dryer when tying back to the modern day with cryptocurrency. Comparisons are made between cryptocurrency and cargo cults, which is interesting and pretty apt. How technological advances and social media operate on similar base ideas to historical brainwashing is fascinating.
The book functions well in explaining how brainwashing and hyperpersuasion operate in the modern day, as well as how that came to be. Definitely a fascinating read!
The book feels significantly dryer when tying back to the modern day with cryptocurrency. Comparisons are made between cryptocurrency and cargo cults, which is interesting and pretty apt. How technological advances and social media operate on similar base ideas to historical brainwashing is fascinating.
The book functions well in explaining how brainwashing and hyperpersuasion operate in the modern day, as well as how that came to be. Definitely a fascinating read!
April 10, 2025
This is a well researched and written book and I can tell the author really knows her stuff. Most of the book is a history of the idea of brainwashing and how it came to be a term used in the medical community and how it has changed the cultural vocabulary.
She creates a throughline from the earliest use of the term in Korean POWs, to current cults and other cultish ideas.
Overall, this was a very interesting read and I have a much better understanding of the changes we as a society have gone through to get to our current views on PTSD and other traumas and abuse. I would highly recommend this book to anyone interested in those topics.
She creates a throughline from the earliest use of the term in Korean POWs, to current cults and other cultish ideas.
Overall, this was a very interesting read and I have a much better understanding of the changes we as a society have gone through to get to our current views on PTSD and other traumas and abuse. I would highly recommend this book to anyone interested in those topics.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews