“Hershovitz is a total delight—energetic, compassionate, patient, wise, and very, very funny, even when he is talking about weighty or difficult ideas.”

— Merve Emre, literary critic at The New Yorker

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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 the words and can’t tie their shoes. They’re kids. And as Scott Hershovitz shows in this delightful debut, they’re astoundingly good philosophers.

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

Following an agenda set by Rex and Hank, Hershovitz takes us on a fun romp through classic and contemporary philosophy, powered by questions like, Does Hank have the right to drink soda? When is it okay to swear? and, Does the number six exist? Hershovitz and his boys take on more weighty issues too. They explore punishment, authority, sex, gender, race, the nature of truth and knowledge, and the existence of God. Along the way, they get help from professional philosophers, famous and obscure. And they show that all of us have a lot to learn from listening to kids—and thinking with them.

Hershovitz calls on us to support kids in their philosophical adventures. But more than that, he challenges us to join them so that we can become better, more discerning thinkers and recapture some of the wonder kids have at the world.

Praise

  • “Hershovitz…mixes wit and wisdom in this thoroughly enjoyable philosophical tour that uses conversations with the author’s two sons to demonstrate that ‘anyone can do philosophy and every kid does’… Fun anecdotes abound . . . . This sincere and smart account puts to rest the idea that philosophy belongs in academia’s ivory tower.”

    Publishers Weekly (starred review)

  • “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

  • “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 bestselling author of Shape

  • “Funny and fascinating. Prompted by conversations with his two young sons, Scott Hershovitz walks us through some of philosophy’s stickiest questions: Does the universe go on forever? Can we really know anything? Is it ok to use swear words? Should you take revenge? Nasty, Brutish, and Short is an easy-to-read primer on how to discuss these profound topics with children, and how to think about them yourself.”

    —Pamela Druckerman, author of Bringing Up Bébé

  • “By wryly recounting conversations he has with Rex and Hank during bath time, before bed, on the way to and home from school, Hershovitz sets out to prove that philosophy, like inquisitive, rowdy children, can offer illuminating insights . . . From his perspective, a mind that's most receptive to complexities and compassion would likely belong to a child, someone, I presume, a lot like the little prince in Antoine de Saint-Exupéry's unforgettable classic. Perhaps Hershovitz is like the fox figure who tells the little prince (and us) his ‘simple secret,’ that ‘it is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye.’"

    —Thúy Đinh, NPR

  • “Let us not ignore the radical nature of this. A philosopher, a man, has written a whole book arguing that the setting of the home and the daily act of parenting can lead to profound philosophical insight and debate . . . Hershovitz’s book has already enhanced my philosophical conversations with my children . . . I learn so much from these conversations, intellectually and—a territory philosophy tends to avoid—emotionally.”

    —Elissa Strauss, The Atlantic

  • “This book made me laugh and also think hard, sometimes on the same page. Highly recommended for anyone with kids, especially kids who wonder ‘Why?’”

    — Emily Oster, New York Times bestselling author of The Family Firm

  • "Luminously clear and breezily demotic."

    —Jonathan Derbyshire, The FT

  • “Compelling . . . genuinely valuable . . . vibrant, funny and provocative.”

    —Tom Whyman, The Times Literary Supplement

  • “An enormously rich and mind-expanding book, which anyone will gain from reading, especially parents.”

    —John Carey, The Sunday Times

  • “Really great and quite funny.”

    —Keith Law, author of The Inside Game

  • “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