ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the creation of a more systematic interaction between the fields of philosophy of technology and political philosophy. Political actors in the public sphere often manipulate others: they provide incentives and other means to purposely influence and alter individuals’ behaviours and beliefs. In general, manipulation is deemed to be a kind of intentional disruption or imposition in the expected functioning of individuals’ decision-making processes. The neo-republican political theory may offer a promising account of the conception of manipulation in digital contexts for several reasons. However, something more is needed to characterize interferences as dominating interventions: the absence of control or arbitrariness. Manipulation, understood as a practice, can be defined as a direct, non-contingent and non-deceptive misrepresentation that affects the manipulated agents’ cognitive capabilities in understanding a set of options and leaves them unsure about the means and intentions of such misrepresentation.
