Drawing together both the history of persuasion as an historical facet of civilization and current practice, and speculation concerning its many manifestation in modern life, this book attempts to review persuasive communication--interpersonal, social, and mass-oriented--from the influences of society to the influences of the mass media. The first chapters make up a general introduction to the study of the intentional aspects of communication and the history of persuasion. Part two considers logical perspectives--those aspects of persuasion which are mainly historical and analytical in thrust, centering upon how and when persuasion occurs in society and how it is employed in major cultural institutions. The third part centers on psychological perspectives and is largely concerned with discrete processes that persuade people to modify dispositions and change actions. An attempt is made to explain why these modifications may or may not occur according to current psychological theory. Part four examines some contemporary beliefs, ideas, and myths concerning persuasion relevant to matters that are of social, political, and cultural concern to Western civilization. Part five discusses how "futurism" as persuasion may constrict free will and the ramifications for survival in our belief that we are not persuasible. (Author/SH)