ABSTRACT
Some traditions in the study of political belief take a top-down, puppet-like view of the transmission of beliefs and worldviews from leaders to citizens. Such transmission is often called propaganda. This chapter considers the philosophy of propaganda, in particular in the work of Jason Stanley, as well as the theory of dehumanization, one alleged form of propaganda which is taken to be particularly nefarious and at the root of many evils, such as genocides. After noting some challenges for the theory of dehumanization, we close by summarizing the work of Hugo Mercier on gullibility, which has it that we are much less politically gullible than many such theories would have it.
