How to Deal with Idiots: (and stop being one yourself)
Idiocy is all around us, whether it's the uncle spouting conspiracy theories, the colleagues who repeat your point but louder, or the commuters who still don't know how to use an escalator. But what is the answer to this perpetual scourge? Here, philosopher Maxime Rovere turns his attention to the murkiest of intellectual corners. With warmth, wit and wisdom, he illuminates a new understanding of idiots, one which examines our relations to others and our own ego, offers tools and strategies to dismantle the most desperate of idiotic situations, and even reveals how to stop being the idiots ourselves (because we're always someone else's idiot). Expertly translated by David Bellos, this is an erudite, enjoyable and much-needed solution to a most familiar vexation.
1138535446
How to Deal with Idiots: (and stop being one yourself)
Idiocy is all around us, whether it's the uncle spouting conspiracy theories, the colleagues who repeat your point but louder, or the commuters who still don't know how to use an escalator. But what is the answer to this perpetual scourge? Here, philosopher Maxime Rovere turns his attention to the murkiest of intellectual corners. With warmth, wit and wisdom, he illuminates a new understanding of idiots, one which examines our relations to others and our own ego, offers tools and strategies to dismantle the most desperate of idiotic situations, and even reveals how to stop being the idiots ourselves (because we're always someone else's idiot). Expertly translated by David Bellos, this is an erudite, enjoyable and much-needed solution to a most familiar vexation.
16.95 In Stock
How to Deal with Idiots: (and stop being one yourself)

How to Deal with Idiots: (and stop being one yourself)

How to Deal with Idiots: (and stop being one yourself)

How to Deal with Idiots: (and stop being one yourself)

Paperback

$16.95 
  • SHIP THIS ITEM
    In stock. Ships in 1-2 days.
  • PICK UP IN STORE

    Your local store may have stock of this item.

Related collections and offers


Overview

Idiocy is all around us, whether it's the uncle spouting conspiracy theories, the colleagues who repeat your point but louder, or the commuters who still don't know how to use an escalator. But what is the answer to this perpetual scourge? Here, philosopher Maxime Rovere turns his attention to the murkiest of intellectual corners. With warmth, wit and wisdom, he illuminates a new understanding of idiots, one which examines our relations to others and our own ego, offers tools and strategies to dismantle the most desperate of idiotic situations, and even reveals how to stop being the idiots ourselves (because we're always someone else's idiot). Expertly translated by David Bellos, this is an erudite, enjoyable and much-needed solution to a most familiar vexation.

Product Details

ISBN-13: 9781788167147
Publisher: IPS - Profile Books
Publication date: 06/06/2023
Pages: 176
Product dimensions: 5.07(w) x 7.79(h) x (d)

About the Author

Maxime Rovere is a philosopher who has dedicated his life to studying the ways we interact, through both the history of philosophy (Spinoza and others in the Early Enlightenment) as well as in contemporary ethics, and now in turning his attention to the scourge of all ages: idiots. Associate Researcher at the École Normale Supérieure (Lyon), he lectures regularly at the universities of Buenos Aires and Montreal and was Council of Humanities Visiting Fellow at Princeton Universityin 2019.

David Bellos was educated at Oxford and teaches French and Comparative Literature at Princeton, where he also directs the Program in Translation and Intercultural Communication. He has written biographies of Georges Perec and Jacques Tati that have been translated into many languages, and an introduction to translation studies, Is That A Fish in Your Ear? He has translated numerous authors from French (Perec, Vargas, Kadare, Simenon, Antelme, Fournel) and offers a new understanding of the extraordinary life and work of Romain Gary in Romain Gary A Tall Story. His latest book is a study of Victor Hugo’s masterpiece, Les Misérables.

Table of Contents

Translator’s Note 7

Introduction 9

Three Conclusions Before We Even Start 17

How Idiots Tie Us in Knots 25

How to Recover from Stupefaction 33

Why Misfortune Can Be Good for You 41

The Backslide Begins! 49

Impotence Is the Foundation of Duty 59

How Moral Authorities Conflict With Each Other 69

How to Listen to Jerks and Idiots 79

Why the Powers That Be Don’t Give a Damn 89

Why Threats Are a Form of Submission 99

Why Interaction Is Incomplete Without Morality 109

Why Idiots Like Destruction 121

Why We Are Ruled by Idiots 131

Why Idiots Are on the Increase 141

Why Idiots Always Win 151

Conclusion 159

Acknowledgements 167

Bibliography 169

From the B&N Reads Blog

Customer Reviews