Assholes
A Theory
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Narrated by:
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Arthur Morey
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By:
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Aaron James
About this listen
In the spirit of the mega-selling On Bullshit, philosopher Aaron James presents a theory of the asshole that is both intellectually provocative and existentially necessary.
What does it mean for someone to be an asshole? The answer is not obvious, despite the fact that we are often personally stuck dealing with people for whom there is no better name. Try as we might to avoid them, assholes are found everywhere - at work, at home, on the road, and in the public sphere. Encountering one causes great difficulty and personal strain, especially because we often cannot understand why exactly someone should be acting like that.
Asshole management begins with asshole understanding. Much as Machiavelli illuminated political strategy for princes, this book finally gives us the concepts to think or say why assholes disturb us so, and explains why such people seem part of the human social condition, especially in an age of raging narcissism and unbridled capitalism. These concepts are also practically useful, as understanding the asshole we are stuck with helps us think constructively about how to handle problems he (and they are mostly all men) presents. We get a better sense of when the asshole is best resisted, and when he is best ignored - a better sense of what is, and what is not, worth fighting for.
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- Narrated by: Ford Enlow
- Length: 6 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
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Americans are living through a social crisis. Our politics is polarized and bitterly divided. Culture wars rage on campus, in the media, social media, and other arenas of our common life. And for too many Americans, alienation can descend into despair, weakening families and communities and even driving an explosion of opioid abuse. Left and right alike have responded with populist anger at our institutions, and use only metaphors of destruction to describe the path forward: cleaning house, draining swamps. But, as Yuval Levin argues, this is a misguided prescription.
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Incisive and Illuminating
- By Jakob on 01-26-23
By: Yuval Levin
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The Myth of the Spoiled Child
- Challenging the Conventional Wisdom about Children and Parenting
- By: Alfie Kohn
- Narrated by: Alfie Kohn
- Length: 8 hrs and 12 mins
- Unabridged
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Somehow, deeply conservative assumptions about how children behave and how parents raise them have become the conventional wisdom in our society. It's widely assumed that parents are both permissive and overprotective, unable to set limits and afraid to let their kids fail. We're told that young people receive trophies, praise, and A's too easily, and suffer from inflated self-esteem and insufficient self-discipline. However, complaints about pushover parents and entitled kids are actually decades old and driven, it turns out, by ideology more than evidence.
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good theories, no tangible or practical ideas.
- By Ben on 05-12-15
By: Alfie Kohn
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Suicide of the West
- How the Rebirth of Tribalism, Populism, Nationalism, and Identity Politics is Destroying American Democracy
- By: Jonah Goldberg
- Narrated by: Jonah Goldberg
- Length: 16 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
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Only once in the last 250,000 years have humans stumbled upon a way to lift ourselves out of the endless cycle of poverty, hunger, and war that defines most of history. If democracy, individualism, and the free market were humankind’s destiny, they should have appeared and taken hold a bit earlier in the evolutionary record. The emergence of freedom and prosperity was nothing short of a miracle.
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Put some gratitude in your attitude
- By Amazon Customer on 04-25-18
By: Jonah Goldberg
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Primates and Philosophers
- How Morality Evolved
- By: Frans de Waal
- Narrated by: Alan Sklar
- Length: 6 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
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"It's the animal in us," we often hear when we've been bad. But why not when we're good? Primates and Philosophers tackles this question by exploring the biological foundations of one of humanity's most valued traits: morality.In this provocative book, primatologist Frans de Waal argues that modern-day evolutionary biology takes far too dim a view of the natural world, emphasizing our "selfish" genes.
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Having Just Read...
- By Douglas on 12-14-13
By: Frans de Waal
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Why Not Socialism?
- By: G. A. Cohen
- Narrated by: John Lescault
- Length: 1 hr and 8 mins
- Unabridged
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Is socialism desirable? Is it even possible? In this concise book, one of the world's leading political philosophers presents with clarity and wit a compelling moral case for socialism and argues that the obstacles in its way are exaggerated. There are times, G. A. Cohen notes, when we all behave like socialists.
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Not compelling, but OK
- By Angel D. on 01-17-12
By: G. A. Cohen
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How Much is Enough?
- Money and the Good Life
- By: Edward Skidelsky
- Narrated by: Clay Teunis
- Length: 8 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
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What constitutes the good life? What is the true value of money? Why do we work such long hours merely to acquire greater wealth? These are some of the questions that many asked themselves when the financial system crashed in 2008. This book tackles such questions head-on.The authors begin with the great economist John Maynard Keynes. In 1930 Keynes predicted that, within a century, per capita income would steadily rise, people’s basic needs would be met, and no one would have to work more than fifteen hours a week.
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Not what I expected at all!
- By Chi on 05-22-23
By: Edward Skidelsky
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The Great Delusion
- Liberal Dreams and International Realities
- By: John J. Mearsheimer
- Narrated by: Noah Michael Levine
- Length: 9 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
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In this major statement, the renowned international-relations scholar John Mearsheimer argues that liberal hegemony, the foreign policy pursued by the United States since the Cold War ended, is doomed to fail. It makes far more sense, he maintains, for Washington to adopt a more restrained foreign policy based on a sound understanding of how nationalism and realism constrain great powers abroad.
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Dense, fact filled, sober analysis and prescription
- By John Brynjolfsson on 12-15-18
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America's Real War
- By: Rabbi Daniel Lapin
- Narrated by: Rabbi Daniel Lapin
- Length: 3 hrs and 39 mins
- Abridged
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There is a tug of war going on for the future of America. At one end of the rope are those who think America is a secular nation; at the other end are those who believe religion is at the root of our country's foundation. In this audio release of the thought-provoking America's Real War, renowned leader and speaker Rabbi Daniel Lapin encourages America to reembrace the Judeo-Christian values on which our nation was founded and logically demonstrates why those values are crucial to America's strength in the new millennium.
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I really enjoyed the thoughts and information.
- By Anonymous User on 05-28-19
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Escape from Freedom
- By: Erich Fromm
- Narrated by: Anthony Haden Salerno
- Length: 8 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
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lf a man cannot stand freedom, he will probably turn fascist. This, in the fewest possible words, is the essential argument in this modem classic, Escape from Freedom. The author, Erich Fromm, is a distinguished psychologist, late of Berlin and Heidelberg, now of New York City.
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Why is this not required reading in high school?
- By Xander on 09-07-16
By: Erich Fromm
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The Democracy Project
- A History, a Crisis, a Movement
- By: David Graeber
- Narrated by: Grover Gardner
- Length: 9 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
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Democracy has been the American religion since before the Revolution - from New England town halls to the multicultural democracy of Atlantic pirate ships. But can our current political system, one that seems responsive only to the wealthiest among us and leaves most Americans feeling disengaged, voiceless, and disenfranchised, really be called democratic? And if the tools of our democracy are not working to solve the rising crises we face, how can we - average citizens - make change happen? David Graeber, one of the most influential scholars and activists of his generation, takes listeners on a journey through the idea of democracy.
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Must-read: such insight, an awakening!
- By Kevin on 10-15-14
By: David Graeber
What listeners say about Assholes
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- Kirsten
- 11-13-12
Not sure what I expected…
Any additional comments?
…but this was not it.
I'm a fan of non-fiction work that looks into various aspects of human nature; this book did look at "assholes" in an in-depth and intelligent way. However, what with the title, I expected more humor. The first two chapters had me chuckling, but the remainder of the book left me a bit confused. I'm left grasping at how James' term "asshole" differs significantly with other (more mainstream) "labeling" of anti-social behavior, such as "sociopath," "narcissist" or "psychopath." I found the book to be a not-very-organized meandering into the issues of personal responsibility versus entitlement. On its face, it's not a terrible book, but the topic seems more cerebrally dealt with (in a short book) with Baron-Cohen's "Science of Evil," and more humorously treated in most of Jon Ronson's offerings. IMO, this book is a great easy-listen for a person who is interested in the subject and needs a lightweight companion on a daily commute.
Arthur Morey does a fine job of narrating this book; he does a great job here as he did in Pinker's "The Better Angels of Our Nature" and will not disappoint his fans here with his smooth and easy cadence.
Final comment: if you are a person who does not like to hear the word "asshole" (and other epithets) repeated and repeated, go elsewhere.
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17 people found this helpful
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- Steven
- 07-23-15
Unexpected Excellence!
Marvelous analysis, and I caught myself laughing out loud often! Fantastic wit and insightful social commentary. I recommend this very highly!
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- Nicolas Namy
- 09-16-15
Law CH 168 Marketing
I Wish for my only love to knock at buzz my door one day. Cause I can only love her.
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- R.J.
- 01-31-13
This is a real work of scholarship, not comedy
Like I said, if you're looking for a Dave Berry type of topical comedy, then you might still love this book; but not because you found what you were looking for. This is a real work of contemporary moral philosophy that's heavy in anthropological and psychological emphasis.
Because, this is a solid work of scholarship for the masses, it avoids all partisanship, and therefore prizes reason over social or political extremes. He defines the various types of assholes in a taxonomy, like a biologists categorizing sub-species. Michael Moore and Rush Limbaugh are both assholes, not because of James' politics, but because they are classified as such before any names are named.
Prof. James isn't kidding when he writes that this is a Theory. He's doing what philosophers are best at, setting up theories for social scientists, historians, and others to use to explain data, and to test an explanation for various phenomena. In fact, it would be great if more anthropologists stopped playing amateur philosopher themselves, and just go about testing theories like James' Theory of Assholes.
Because, this work comes from a true scholar, it seems really avoids a lot of the pop social science books being written these days by journalists, and non-specialists who don't often do well in evaluating the data they present. For example, James does a great job differentiating assholes from psychopaths, which is sorely needed; because of the recent books claiming that psychopaths are all around us -especially in business. I take issue with James' assessment that Assholes are worse than what he calls "Bitches." In most situations involving unequal power, I'd much rather deal with an asshole than a psychopath or a bitch. The difference is that the latter won't let you see it coming before you get stabbed in the back, whereas the asshole lays out his assholeness for all to see and deal with openly.
He openly states that the pursuit of the social and cultural causes of asshole production be tested by sociologists and anthropologists, and give more definitive numerical data. He opens up the discussion to how a society can destroy itself, like Easter Island, and I'd like to offer an anthropological way to explain and test James' theory. James' eludes that assholeness is a social role, and even functional; if mostly in a dysfunctional way for society writ large. I would propose that assholeness as James' presents it could be tested and explained through the theory of Cultural Materialism; i.e., assholes are assholes because they can be, and because such a role is in fact functional in the short-term for the fitness of individuals and their offspring. With changes in material reality the multivariate drivers of asshole production will either increase or decrease, not because we collectively choose either, as James tells us; but, because the infrastructure leads the superstructure as sure as we will choose to eat if we haven't eaten in a week before we'll read a book, if we also haven't read in that same week.
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9 people found this helpful
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- Mr Bill
- 03-19-19
Meh...
I struggle to get through this one. this book is filled with the artists heavily left-leaning views. it reads more like a pro-socialist advertisement than a philosophical book
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- Cal Baldari
- 04-02-22
excellent piece of philosophy
it isn't always common that you find a good piece of popular philosophy. Far too often, it is overly simple and poorly argued. I found this to be a superior entry into the academic literature
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- Russ
- 10-16-13
A funny philosophical treatise with some history
If you could sum up Assholes in three words, what would they be?
Funny, pedantic treatise
What does Arthur Morey bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?
The narrator conveys a crispness to the analysis which would be less obvious if reading.
What did you learn from Assholes that you would use in your daily life?
Who they are, what they are, how to avoid them, deal with them and why they frustrate us so much.
Any additional comments?
This is a modern day philosophical treatise. The analysis is detailed. The arguments are deep and require reflection to be appreciated. If you are looking for a funny, easy to read book, this is NOT it. If you are looking for a mind-bending discussion on a seemingly trivial topic, you will thoroughly enjoy this.
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6 people found this helpful
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- Steve
- 07-26-17
A Too Studious Examination
If you're going to use the word 'Assholes' in the title then a little levity might be expected in the book. But instead, this is a very serious examination, if you will, of people with difficult personalities, (i.e. assholes). If you're open to the title then you're likely open to a little joke here and there but be forewarned, there are very few. I don't think it was good judgement to use the word asshole every paragraph of such and academic discussion. Such a dry examination using such a lighthearted word was off kilter.
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- Rupe
- 01-27-13
Quite Interesting Indeed
What did you love best about Assholes?
I did not think a word such as Asshole could be weaved into such a detailed and interesting piece.
What was the most compelling aspect of this narrative?
1. I really liked the advice on how to deal with Assholes
2. Asshole Capitalism
3. That Asshole, as a group within society, actually do exist - it's like discovering "bigfoot"
4. Yeah, I have never seen or heard the word "Asshole" mentioned so many times in my entire life...that was compelling
Any additional comments?
The book went on in parts, but was balanced in others by some new insights. I was particularly intrigued by the whole idea of the psychology of asshole-ism. The entire book had me mentally re-visiting quite a few people from my past and in someways recasting there actions in the light of this newly acquired information. I now take much comfort in the fact that I was not just being overly sensitive...I was just really dealing with typical Assholes.
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3 people found this helpful
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- Michael K Lantagne
- 01-28-18
Trying to understand....
.... the current socio-economic state of affairs and the political mess it has engendered? Look no further. This theory of the asshole will help you understand.... and it will offer a pragmatic hope for the future.
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1 person found this helpful