In an essay for the Atlantic, Steven Pinker suggests that part of the attraction that swear words have for those who use them lies in their "word magic": their ability to frighten or scare away those who object to them.
People believe, contrary to logic, that certain words can corrupt the moral order—that piss and Shit! and fucking are dangerous in a way that pee and Shoot! and freakin’ are not. This quirk in our psychology lies in the ability of taboo words to activate primitive emotional circuits in the brain.
He brings up the late George Carlin, who made a cause celebre out of le mot juste as well as les mots de justice. Dr. Pinker discusses this theme further in a chapter in his book The Stuff of Thought. I argue something similar in my recent article George Carlin: Constitutional Law Scholar, 37 Stetson L. Rev. 899-940 (2008). Though I don't discuss the magic of words, I do discuss to some extent why taboo words have such a grip on our souls (and our legal system). Nice to think that a renowned philosopher like Dr. Pinker and I are on the same page.
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