Introduction: "The Problem of Propaganda"
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The most basic problem for democracy raided by propaganda is the possibility that the vocabulary of liberal democracy is used to mask an undemocratic reality. If so, there could be a state that appeared to be a liberal democracy. It would be a state the citizens of which believed was a liberal democracy. But the appearance of liberal democracy would be merely the outer trappings of an illiberal, undemocratic reality.
— Jason Stanley
What It Means
This is a placeholder explanation generated by the low-overhead model. It interprets "The most basic problem for democracy raided by propaganda is the possibility that the vocabulary of liberal democracy is used to mask an undemocratic reality. If so, there could be a state that appeared to be a liberal democracy. It would be a state the citizens of which believed was a liberal democracy. But the appearance of liberal democracy would be merely the outer trappings of an illiberal, undemocratic reality." in the context of "Introduction: "The Problem of Propaganda"" to mean that wisdom is timeless.
Source: Wikiquote: "Jason Stanley" (Quotes, How Propaganda Works (2015))
The 'What it means' explanation text was generated by Google Gemini Flash (accessed January 18, 2026). https://gemini.google.com/app
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About Jason Stanley
Jason Stanley (born 1969) is an American philosopher, teacher, and writer. He serves as the Jacob Urowsky Professor of Philosophy at Yale University.
About Jason Stanley
Jason Stanley (born 1969) is an American philosopher, teacher, and writer. He serves as the Jacob Urowsky Professor of Philosophy at Yale University.
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