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Hard Knox with Amanda Knox

How Hyperpersuasion Hijacks Free Will (Rebecca Lemov)

Hard Knox with Amanda Knox

Knox Robinson Productions

True Crime, Mental Health, Health & Fitness, Society & Culture

4.61.1K Ratings

🗓️ 21 October 2025

⏱️ 70 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Rebecca Lemov is the author of The Instability of Truth: Brainwashing, Mind Control, and Hyperpersuasion, whose work explores how people are persuaded, manipulated, and sometimes brainwashed. In this conversation, Amanda and Rebecca unpack why intelligence doesn’t protect us from influence, how moments of “ungrounding” make us vulnerable to brainwashing, and why shame keeps many survivors silent. Reach out to us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.amandaknox.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠or ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠amandaknox.substack.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ X: @amandaknox IG: @amamaknox Bluesky: @⁠⁠amandaknox.com⁠⁠ ⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠Free: My Search for Meaning⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Waking Up Meditation App ⁠⁠⁠https://www.wakingup.com/Amandaknox Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0

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0:13.2

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1:13.6

I'm Amanda Knox, and you're listening to Hard Knocks.

1:24.6

Welcome to Hard Knocks, everyone.

1:30.5

Today's episode has me speaking with Rebecca Lemov, a Harvard historian of science about her

1:37.1

newest book, The Instability of Truth, Brainwashing, Mind Control, and Hyper Persuasion.

1:44.0

So obviously a fascinating topic for our times,

...

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