This machine kills fascists : detecting propaganda with formal models of mass discourse structure (and other ideas)

This dissertation consists of three free-standing chapters, all of which deal with themes in the philosophy of language in general and in pragmatics in particular. Chapter 1 augments an existing model of discourse-level information structure in order to articulate relevance conditions that make the right predictions about the class of utterances I call higher order utterances. The apparatus introduced turns out also to have some utility for the representation of a certain kind of discourse defectiveness. Chapter 2 explores an analogy between communication and knowledge to ultimately advance the thesis that communication is not a uniquely valuable type of signaling event. Chapter 3 draws connections between propaganda and polarization, and then between the measurement of polarization and the tools used in the modeling of discourse structure. The upshot is that tools from formal pragmatics have an application in the characterization, and perhaps ultimately detection, of propaganda.

Name thesis:degree_name

Doctor of Philosophy

Level thesis:degree_level

Doctoral

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Philosophy

Grantor

The University of Texas at Austin

Year dc:date.issued

2018

Author dc:creator

• Hyska, Megan Alexandra

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Dever, Josh

Committee members dc:contributor.committeemember

• Buchanan, Ray
• Kamp, Johan
• Beaver, David
• Roberts, Craige
• Stanley, Jason

• Language
• Pragmatics

Language dc:language.iso

en

Identifier URI

http://dx.doi.org/10.26153/tsw/1067

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:repositories.lib.utexas.edu:2152/73935