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-<em>Schadenfreude</em>-has become universal in its expression of this feeling. Drawing on the teachings of historys most prominent philosophers, John Portmann explores the concept of <em>Schadenfreude</em> in this rigorous, comprehensive, and absorbing study.