Assholes

'A wonderful book. If you come across it, you must read it.' - John Cleese

What does it mean for someone to be an ahole? 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, aholes 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.

Ahole management begins with ahole understanding. In the spirit of the bestselling On Bullshit, James gives us the concepts to think or say why aholes 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 ahole we are stuck with helps us think constructively about how to handle problems they present. We get a better sense of when the a**hole is best resisted, and when he is best ignored a better sense of what is, and what is not, worth fighting for.

“Splendid. - Oliver BurkemanCurrently in love with a book called 'Aholes: A Theory' - Bette MidlerThe thrust of James' thesis is timely. Energetically argued and provoking...well worth the discomfort; not least for Aaron James's magnificent 'Letter to an Ahole', which ends the book. - Literary ReviewThis is a book that should appeal equally to the general reader and the philosophical specialist. James's analysis of ahole capitalism is a tour de force of philosophically astute political analysis and criticism. His witty and accessible study draws on his lucid and brilliant accounts of the best in contemporary moral and political philosophy. - Marshall Cohen, University Professor Emeritus, University of Southern CaliforniaAaron James provides us with a delightful philosophical romp through the world of aholes. I was especially tickled by his analysis of different types: smug aholes, royal royal aholes, the presidential ahole, corporate aholes, the reckless aholes, to name a few. - Robert I. Sutton, Stanford Professor and author of the New York Times bestsellers The No Ahole Rule and Good Boss, Bad BossJames's research is both thorough and imaginative; his impressive source list ranges from obscure philosophy books to popular websites to Rudyard Kipling to Kanye West, hip-hop's greatest ahole. The author s enthusiasm for the subject makes it possible to get through the book quickly.... There are moments of great insight and outright hilarity. - Kirkus ReviewsJames's volume is equal parts philosophical meditation and historical survey, but its true value lies in his attempt to precisely define the term. - New York MagazineA delightful combination of the demotic and the technical... James gives us some practical advice for confronting aholes, for maintaining self-respect and social position in a world full of them. - Harpers Magazine”

Splendid. - Oliver Burkeman

Currently in love with a book called 'Aholes: A Theory' - Bette Midler

The thrust of James' thesis is timely. Energetically argued and provoking...well worth the discomfort; not least for Aaron James's magnificent 'Letter to an Ahole', which ends the book. - Literary Review

This is a book that should appeal equally to the general reader and the philosophical specialist. James's analysis of ahole capitalism is a tour de force of philosophically astute political analysis and criticism. His witty and accessible study draws on his lucid and brilliant accounts of the best in contemporary moral and political philosophy. - Marshall Cohen, University Professor Emeritus, University of Southern California

Aaron James provides us with a delightful philosophical romp through the world of aholes. I was especially tickled by his analysis of different types: smug aholes, royal royal aholes, the presidential ahole, corporate aholes, the reckless aholes, to name a few. - Robert I. Sutton, Stanford Professor and author of the New York Times bestsellers The No Ahole Rule and Good Boss, Bad Boss

James's research is both thorough and imaginative; his impressive source list ranges from obscure philosophy books to popular websites to Rudyard Kipling to Kanye West, hip-hop's greatest ahole. The author s enthusiasm for the subject makes it possible to get through the book quickly.... There are moments of great insight and outright hilarity. - Kirkus Reviews

James's volume is equal parts philosophical meditation and historical survey, but its true value lies in his attempt to precisely define the term. - New York Magazine

A delightful combination of the demotic and the technical... James gives us some practical advice for confronting aholes, for maintaining self-respect and social position in a world full of them. - Harpers Magazine

Aaron James holds a PhD from Harvard and is Associate Professor of Philosophy at the University of California, Irvine. He was awarded the Burkhardt fellowship from the American Council of Learned Societies, spending the 2009-10 academic year at the Center for Advanced Studies in the Behavioral Sciences at Stanford University. James is the author of Fairness in Practice. He's an avid surfer... and he's not an asshole.

'A wonderful book. If you come across it, you must read it.' - John CleeseWhat does it mean for someone to be an ahole? 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, aholes 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.Ahole management begins with ahole understanding. In the spirit of the bestselling On Bullshit , James gives us the concepts to think or say why aholes 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 ahole we are stuck with helps us think constructively about how to handle problems they present. We get a better sense of when the a**hole 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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