When Bad Things Happen to Other People

Although many of us deny it, it is not uncommon to feel pleasure over the suffering of others, particularly when we feel that suffering has been deserved. The German word for this concept-Schadenfreude-has become universal in its expression of this feeling. Drawing on the teachings of history's most prominent philosophers, John Portmann explores the concept of Schadenfreude in this rigorous, comprehensive, and absorbing study.

John Portmann has studied at Yale, Cambridge University, and L'ecole des hautes etudes in sciences sociales in Paris. He received his Ph.D. in philosophical and religious ethics from the University of Virginia, where he studied under James Childress, Daniel Westberg, Richard Rorty and Patricia Spears. He lives in Charlottesville, Virginia.

Acknowledgements; Introduction The Sometimes Sweet Suffering of Others; Key to Abbreviations; I. When Pretty Bad Things Happen to Other People; 1. Much Ado about Nothing?; 2. Explaining Schadenfreude ; II. When Reallly Bad Things Happen to Other People; 3. The Meaning of Suffering; 4. Wicked Feelings; 5. Celebrating Suffering; 6. Punishment and Its Pleasure; 7. Cheering with the Angels; 8. Outlaw Emotions; Conclusion The Moral Problem of Schadenfreude ; Notes; Works Consulted; Index