What is good reasoning and what is manipulation? How can manipulation be recognized in the private as well as in the public sphere? What is propaganda and how does it work? In this talk we analyse some basic concepts of manipulation and countermeasures and discuss the main ideas of the Harvard concept of fair and respectful negotiation. We will then look at basic ideas established by the father of modern propaganda, Edward L. Bernays (1891 -1995), and give some illustrative examples. Finally, we will describe the freedom of Christian thinking, how to break self-censorship, overcome conformity and speak up in public persuasively and effectively.

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Ralf Bergmann, born in 1962, is married and has three adult children, two children-in-law and three grandchildren. He received his degree in physics and a doctorate from German universities. He is or has been mainly involved in semiconductor physics and technology, photovoltaics and optical technologies at several research institutions in Germany and Australia and has also worked in industrial research. Since 2008 he is a professor and head of a research institute working on optical technologies and optoelectronics. Beyond his research, he is defending the reasonability and relevance of Christian faith, with respect to the joint concerns of physics, philosophy, and theology as well as modern western society. In 2019, he wrote the book Gott und die Erklärung der Welt (God and the explanation of the world), and in 2021 Die freie Gesellschaft und ihre Feinde (The free society and its enemies) in remembrance of Karl Poppers famous book The open society and its enemies and the works of Francis Schaeffer. Corresponding resources in English and German can be found in http://www.professorenforum.de/.

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