PHILOSOPHICAL ANALYSIS OF MANIPULATION: ONTOLOGY, EPISTEMOLOGY AND ETHICS OF COVERT COERCION
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.55640/Keywords:
manipulation, covert coercion, autonomy, authenticity, symbolic violence, communicative rationality, alienation, responsibility, power-knowledge.Abstract
This article undertakes a comprehensive philosophical analysis of the phenomenon of manipulation, moving beyond its narrow psychological interpretation. Manipulation is considered as a fundamental mode of human communication and social interaction, rooted in the structures of consciousness, power, and knowledge. The aim of the research is to reveal the essential (ontological) characteristics of manipulation, the mechanisms of its impact on an individual's cognitive (epistemological) capacities, and its normative (ethical) status. It is argued that manipulation represents not merely a technique of deception, but a form of symbolic violence based on the exploitation of a priori trust, autonomy, and human rationality. As a theoretical foundation, the concepts of existential analytics, critical theory, the philosophy of dialogue, and modern theories of communicative action are utilized.
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References
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