Sticks and Stones: The Philosophy of Insults

by Jerome Neu

Book Overview

"Sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me." This schoolyard rhyme projects an invulnerability to verbal insults that sounds good but rings false. Indeed, the need for such a verse belies its own claims. For most of us, feeling insulted is a distressing-and distressingly common-experience.
In Sticks and Stones, philosopher Jerome Neu probes the nature, purpose, and effects of insults, exploring how and why they humiliate,...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 019531431X
• ISBN13: 9780195314311
• Release Date: December 2007
• Publisher: Oxford University Press
• Length: 304 Pages
• Weight: 0.15 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 5.8" x 8.5"

Customer Reviews

Sticks and Stones

Sticks and Stones is spectacular even in the context of Professor Neu's previous fascinating explorations of the emotions. In focusing upon insults,he has chosen a highly topical subject whose complexities of interaction are well-suited to his sharp analytical approach. He attains depth of insight without ever being unexciting;his work often provides the aesthetic pleasure one gets from a novelist plumbing the depths of a character. For me, the chapters on forgiveness and on insult humor happen to be particular favorites, but that in no way diminished my enjoyment of the discussions of dueling, rap battles and defamation law (including the controversial topic of hate speech). Finally, Sticks and Stones also satisfies an important criterion for books on this topic: it provides many new insults to add to the reader's own repertoire.