A philosopher examines the complicated phenomenon of gaslighting Gaslighting” is suddenly in
everyone’s vocabulary. It’s written about talked about tweeted about even sung about (in
Gaslighting” by The Chicks). It’s become shorthand for being manipulated by someone who insists
that up is down hot is cold dark is light—someone who isn’t just lying about such things but
trying to drive you crazy. The term has its origins in a 1944 film in which a husband does
exactly that to his wife his crazy-making efforts symbolized by the rise and fall of the
gaslights in their home. In this timely and provocative book Kate Abramson examines
gaslighting from a philosophical perspective investigating it as a distinctive moral
phenomenon. Gaslighting Abramson writes is best understood as a form of interpersonal
interaction a particular way of fundamentally undermining someone. The gaslighter Abramson
argues aims to make his target experience herself as incapable of reasoning perceiving or
reacting in ways that would allow her to form appropriate beliefs perceptions or emotions in
the first place. He seeks not only to induce in her this unmoored sense of herself but also to
make it a reality. Using examples and analysis Abramson gives an account of gaslighting and
its immorality and argues that such a discussion can help us understand other aspects of
social life—from racism and sexism to the structure of interpersonal trust.
