During the war he debriefed people interrogated by the Gestapo to figure out ways to resist and briefed other resistance fighters with what to expect. Its obviously impossible to "resist" many things on that level, for example the threat of having your family put into Sippenhaft with you. While other mechanisms, especially on a societal level, are much more easily countered. You can summarize his approach with "knowledge is power". So the book is using the same approach he applied during the war and which he had recommended since, that true and honest information in an open society is the best medicine against a rise in totalitarianism and the resulting corruption.
Its an approach you should be familiar with when it comes to combating the different methods of propaganda, psychological warfare or information operations. Or simply cognitive biases. Once you describe how they work, you are primed to recognize them when you come across them. Which hopefully reduces their effectiveness.
To give an example, there is the rather famous quote concerning the title:
>“Many victims of totalitarianism have told me in interviews that the most upsetting experience they faced "…" was the feeling of loss of logic, the state of confusion into which they had been brought — the state in which nothing had any validity "…" they simply did not know what was what.”
Recognizing that this is an actual tactic, aimed at creating a predictable reaction is rather helpful to break out of that predetermined path for your thoughts.
Its an approach you should be familiar with when it comes to combating the different methods of propaganda, psychological warfare or information operations. Or simply cognitive biases. Once you describe how they work, you are primed to recognize them when you come across them. Which hopefully reduces their effectiveness.
To give an example, there is the rather famous quote concerning the title:
>“Many victims of totalitarianism have told me in interviews that the most upsetting experience they faced "…" was the feeling of loss of logic, the state of confusion into which they had been brought — the state in which nothing had any validity "…" they simply did not know what was what.”
Recognizing that this is an actual tactic, aimed at creating a predictable reaction is rather helpful to break out of that predetermined path for your thoughts.