Tyranny Of Words [Paperback]

Stuart Chase (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 15, 1959

A popular approach to semantics in which the author discussess how to clarify the meaning of words and achieve more exact communication. Index

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Stuart Chase (1888-1985) Born in Somersworth, New Hampshire was an American economist and engineer trained at MIT. His writings covered topics as diverse as general semantics and physical economy. His hybrid background of engineering and economics places him in the same philosophical camp as R. Buckminster Fuller. It has been suggested that he was the originator of the expression a New Deal, which became identified with the economic programs of American president Franklin Delano Roosevelt. He had a cover story in The New Republic entitled "A New Deal for America," during the week that FDR gave his 1932 acceptance speech promising a new deal, but whether FDR speechwriter Samuel Rosenman saw the magazine is not clear.

He was a member of the Technical Alliance, and involved with the Technocracy movement. In The Economy of Abundance Chase suggests that the facts behind the ideas of Technocracy Incorporated remain more important than whether Howard Scott was a degreed engineer or not.

His 1938 book The Tyranny of Words was an early (perhaps the earliest, predating Hayakawa) and influential popularization of Alfred Korzybski's general semantics which can still be read with profit.

Partial booklist

• Your Money's Worth: A study in the waste of the consumer's dollar 1928
• The Tragedy of Waste 1925
• Men and Machines 1929
• A New Deal 1932
• A Generation of Industrial Peace;: Thirty years of labor relations at Standard Oil Company 1941
• The Proper Study of Mankind Harper & Brothers 1948
• Roads to Agreement: Successful methods in the science of human relations 1951
• For This We Fought;: Guide lines to America's future as reported to the Twentieth Century Fund
• Danger--Men Talking! a Background Book on Semantics and Communication
• Rich Land, Poor Land
• The Proper Study of Mankind Harper Colophon Books, 1956
• American Credos 1962
• Guides to Straight Thinking, With 13 Common Fallacies
• The Economy of Abundance
• Tyranny of Words

Product Details

• Paperback: 420 pages
• Publisher: Mariner Books (April 15, 1959)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0156923947
• ISBN-13: 978-0156923941
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #244,012 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

51 of 52 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Let Me Frame the Argument..., July 30, 2000

By 

John A. Goodson - See all my reviews

This review is from: Tyranny Of Words (Paperback)

The book is dated but fascinating. It introduces the notion that much of what we argue about is really not an argument about facts but one about definitions. It is fascinating also to note the players in the 1930s and to see what their predictions became. A wonderful introduction to semantics with the caution that if you let an enemy select the terms of the argument, he has already won it.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Perspective on language..., June 7, 2009

By 

Zopa (Colorado) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Tyranny Of Words (Paperback)

Language or Words (if you will) may be the most significant distinction that the human species has. It has provided man with a creative medium almost beyond compare and at the same time in our innocence we have allowed our selves to assign words an importance or value that has become destructive, misleading, perverted, etc. This book could get you on the road to recovery. Mr. Chase is not nearly as philosophical about these issues as I tend to be but it may be to his credit. I loved the book anyhow...give it a try it may change how you think and speak.

12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Still a useful book, March 22, 2008

By 

Robert B. Makinson "Robert B. Makinson" (Brooklyn New York United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Tyranny Of Words (Paperback)

Still a useful book after all these years. It was first published in 1938. The author is strong on scientific method and objectivity. But on page 168 of the edition I have, he tells us that "Simile, metaphor and poetry are legitimate and useful methods of communication, provided speaker and hearer are conscious that they are being employed."
All kinds of things can be done with words and it is the author's wish that they be used for the good of the individual and the good of society. But people still continue to differ on the meaning of the word "good."