Nasty, Brutish, and Short

Adventures in Philosophy with My Kids

By: Scott Hershovitz

Narrated by: Scott Hershovitz

Length: 9 hrs and 31 mins

Publisher's summary

An NPR Best Book of 2022 * One of Christian Science Monitor's 10 best books of May

“This amazing new book . . . takes us on a journey through classic and contemporary philosophy powered by questions like ‘What do we have the right to do? When is it okay to do this or that?’ They explore punishment and authority and sex and gender and race and the nature of truth and knowledge and the existence of God and the meaning of life and Scott just does an incredible job.” —Ryan Holiday, The Daily Stoic

Some of the best philosophers in the world gather in surprising places—preschools and playgrounds. They debate questions about metaphysics and morality, even though they’ve never heard those words and can’t tie their shoes. They’re kids. And as University of Michigan professor of philosophy and law Scott Hershovitz shows, they can help grown-ups solve some of life’s greatest mysteries.

Hershovitz has two young sons, Rex and Hank. From the time they could talk, he noticed that they raised philosophical questions and tried to answer them. They re-created ancient arguments and advanced entirely new ones. That’s not unusual, Hershovitz says. Every kid is a philosopher.

Powered by questions like: Does Hank have the right to drink soda? Is it ever okay to swear? and, Does the number six exist? the Hershovitzes take us on a fun romp through classic and contemporary philosophy. If we join kids on philosophical adventures, Hershovitz argues, we can become sharper thinkers and recapture their wonder at the world.

©2022 Scott Hershovitz (P)2022 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

“In his witty and learned book Nasty, Brutish, and Short, Hershovitz intertwines parenting and philosophy, recounting his spirited arguments with his kids about infinity, morality, and the existence of God, and teaching half a liberal arts curriculum along the way.” (Jordan Ellenberg, New York Times best-selling author of Shape)

“This delightful book is about philosophy and, ultimately, how to better love your kids. Want to cherish them, respect them, help them learn? Then join them in their natural wonderment and enjoy the philosophical fun!” (Aaron James, best-selling author of Assholes: A Theory and professor of philosophy at UC Irvine )

“This book will teach you how to transform the endless questions of childhood into the endless wonder of philosophy.” (Barry Lam, host and executive producer, Hi-Phi Nation podcast, associate professor of philosophy, Vassar College)

Great recap of a bunch of major threads in philosophy

I was a philosophy major many years ago. I'm rusty and behind on the field, but this is a great summary of a lot of the major questions and some of the more influential answers.

I appreciate the synthesis of classical answers (Descartes, Hume, Kant, etc.) with more modern thinkers. He also does better than my faculty did of bringing in diverse voices, long since past (often unknown until more recently) and present day. Would have liked to see more famous black feminist theorists whose non-admission to the "philosopher" club is IMO a real problem (Patricia Hill Collins and bell hooks, for instance), especially given the reasonably sound discussion of race where they have especially good, unique insights. (And given that other disciplines are represented here.) But he does better than most cis white guy philosophers with not just citing other cis white guys.

I also appreciate the author's humility and focus on methods and disputes instead of just giving us his answers. We could all use more of that approach, for sure.

The convos with his boys are obviously edited for brevity and clarity, and if you can't stand children the hook may be annoying. But I thought it was sincere and charming, and that it added to the book.

Add in solid narration and this is a 5 star listen all around!

Epic

Loved every word. A nice reminder of how best to engage my kids while ensuring they remain open-minded.

Good narration, solid listen

I enjoyed all the fun stories of the author’s children and it helped me get a sense of how I can incorporate philosophical questioning with every day topics/scenarios with my children. I also liked how he incorporated famous philosophical stories/paradoxes as well. Wasn’t too interested in the chapters on race, gender, God etc… but I can appreciate that those are hot topics and will be of interest to others.

Enlightening and interesting

I heard the author interviewed on Freakonomics and knew I would like the book, but it actually exceeded my expectations. It’s a combination of sweet and serious. It delves into most of the major topics of philosophy through the eyes of children and their innate way of picking out the thorniest questions of existence. The best thing I could say is that it changed how I relate to my philosopher 4-year-old.

What every teacher should read and assign families.

This author does an outstanding job of surveying how valuable and accessible philosophy for all can be…and with welcome humor, weight of importance, and humility for such a remarkable contributor to the Usonian legal world. This is both masterpiece and handbook. My students will probably enjoy it more than they ever enjoyed anything else since as this book argues-they are born philosophers (and I hope to keep them in a state of searching for knowledge and wisdom through this book.)

Engaging and fun

This is a wonderful read for anyone who wants a light-hearted introduction to philosophy. I enjoyed how he tied philosophical ponderings to his conversations with his kids as it reminds me of the curiosity and willingness I had to just sit and ponder as a child. I definitely recommend it for casual walks, long drives, or plane rides.

Philosophy matters

The author made philosophy accessible. His boys made philosophy relevant by bringing it into conversation in the midst of their everyday lives. It becomes a way to understand our experience as human beings well as as mental discipline. What a gift of clear, deep thinking. Read it!

Great way to stop and think

I loved questioning my ideas, actions, and philosophy. I have small children, love them, and have intrinsic parenting values. However, I love the new view points that I learned about how to interact with a better and in a more respectful manner.

Touching Read

Fun to listen to, heartwarming, and sweet. Reads as cozy philosophy and nice reminder of how kids see the world and how to capture that mindset.

Accessible, Entertaining and Practical

Presented in and by the author's own voice, this is a humourous and curiosity inspiring story that shines a whole new light on the accessibility and practical nature of philosophy. It is a fun and engaging book I highly recommend.