Mindfucking: A Critique of Mental Manipulation by Colin McGinn.
Title: Mindfucking: A Critique of Mental Manipulation.
Author: Colin McGinn.
Genre: Non-fiction, philosophy, psychology, politics, cultural studies.
Country: U.K.
Language: English.
Publication Date: May, 2003.
Summary: Being surrounded by bullshit is one thing. Having your mind fucked is quite another. The former is irritating, but the latter is violating and intrusive. If someone manipulates your thoughts and emotions, messing with your head, you naturally feel resentment: he or she has distorted your perceptions, disturbed your feelings, maybe even usurped your self. Mindfucking is a prevalent aspect of contemporary culture and the agent can range from an individual to a whole state, from personal mind games to wholesale propaganda. This book investigates and clarifies this phenomenon, taking in the ancient Greeks, Shakespeare, and modern techniques of thought control. McGinn assembles the conceptual components of this most complex of concepts - trust, deception, emotion, manipulation, false belief, vulnerability - and explores its very nature. Is philosophy, as a discipline, a type of mindfuck? Is romantic love a species of mindfuck? The essence is psychological upheaval or disorientation, often abetted by the weaknesses of the victim. Jealousy, insecurity and prejudice can aid the mindfuck. Delusion is the general result, sometimes insanity. How mindfucked are you?
My rating: 6/10.