π 4 Books mentioned in "Swearing Is More Important Than You Think | Freakonomics Radio | Episode 540" of Freakonomics Radio

Podcast: Freakonomics Radio
Episode: Swearing Is More Important Than You Think | Freakonomics Radio | Episode 540
Published on April 20, 2023
Hereβs a list of all the books mentioned in this episode. Click on the links to watch specific excerpts on YouTube and feel free to purchase the books if they caught your interest!

Holy Sh*t
Buy Holy Sh*t by Melissa Mohr on Amazon
Moore is the author of a book called Holy [ __ ]. A Brief History of Swearing.
In the podcast, the host Stephen Dubner introduces the author Melissa Moore and elaborates on her book, providing both its informal and formal titles: 'Holy [__]' and 'A Brief History of Swearing'.

The Stuff of Thought
Buy The Stuff of Thought by Steven Pinker on Amazon
Question: you've got this kind of euphemism treadmill that Stephen Pinker talks about where it starts off as a bad word, but then people use it more and more, and then you get used to it, and then it falls away, and then you need to come up with another bad word.
The host discusses the 'euphemism treadmill' concept, which is attributed to Stephen Pinker. This idea suggests that a word begins as taboo but becomes more acceptable over time, necessitating the creation of new terms to fill the space of the old ones.

Why We Curse
Buy Why We Curse by Timothy Jay on Amazon
If I ask you to give the answer to the title of this one book of yours, "Why We Curse," why do we? How answerable is that question?
In this segment, host Stephen Dubner brings up Timothy J's book, 'Why We Curse', and poses a rhetorical question regarding its title, suggesting the book's significance in the context of the discussion.

Woke Racism
Buy Woke Racism by John McWhorter on Amazon
I write a column for the New York Times, and my most recent two books were, "Nine Nasty Words" about profanity and "Woke Racism" about race and cultural issues.
In this segment, John McWhorter discusses his book 'Woke Racism', which tackles themes surrounding race and cultural issues. He references this work alongside his other publication, 'Nine Nasty Words', a book focused on profanity.