異域文化 說服的藝術(shù) 17

Augustus had used images to manipulate people into believing one thing when in fact the very opposite was true. So he discovered how to use art to tell a political lie. It was a technique that would be embraced by dictators down the ages. They too would turn to art to deceive their people. Through art, they would persuade their people to hate, to turn on their foreign enemies, and even on their own neighbors, and worse, to persuade them to believe that some people were less than human. Over thousands of years, leaders in the ancient world discovered the extraordinary power of art to persuade. They realized its potential to promote themselves and their ideas. And with Augustus, they learnt to exploit art for more sinister purposes.

Today's politicians are using techniques very similar to those invented by leaders thousands of years ago. Both exploit the same universal human traits. The leaders of the past used paint and marble, today's politicians, digital technology. But we humans remain as vulnerable now as we ever were to the persuasive power of art.

Next on How Art Made the World, we'll uncover the ancient origins of the feature film. We'll reveal how human beings invented the hero, how they came to tell stories with pictures and how we discovered the extraordinary power of the sound track.

Everyone's taste in art is different. What makes you like the art that you do, help us to find out by taking part in a scientific experiment, log on at bbc.co.uk/science. Next week's program is at 9:30. Tomorrow night at 9 on BBC 2. The Experiment draws to a close in a monastery.