| |
The Romans |
 |
The Romans can be called the great inventors of myths with the purpose of propaganda. Think of  Caesar, Augustus or Nero. Caesar wrote his war-documentation by using incredible (e.g. the numbers of hostile soldiers) but he also emphasized the barbarity of the foe, creating images of hatred. People back at home had to believe these manipulative stories.
Or Augustus: he reunited the Roman Empire; part of his power was due to huge efforts in propaganda, visible e.g. in the mass of coins showing his face, being sent all over the empire. He understood very well, that different cultures used different symbols - and he used them for his propaganda.
Politically the Roman army was an important factor. Propaganda in that case was used for the soldiers on the one hand, but on the other hand also for demonstrating the power of the army to the people, so they could trust in its strength. Even then security was an essential factor of politics. As long as the army functioned, the Roman Empire did as well (Taylor, Munitions of the Mind, p. 48).
|
|
Feedback
In biology, feedback refers to a response within a system (molecule, cell, organism, or population) that influences the continued activity or productivity of that system. In essence, it is the control of a biological reaction by the end products of that reaction. Similar usage prevails in mathematics, particularly in several areas of communication theory. In every instance, part of the output is fed back as new input to modify and improve the subsequent output of a system. The importance of feedback mechanisms has also been pointed out by Norbert Wiener. He theorized that all intelligent behavior is the result of feedback mechanisms and that they could therefore contribute to the creation artificial intelligence.
|
|
|
