Tim Henning, Nikola Kompa and Christian Nimtz embark on a philosophical investigation into the dark side of our language. They show us linguistic forms of exclusion and concealment which are so powerful thanks to hidden mechanisms driving our communication we are not aware of. How do they look like, and how do they enable us to permanently stigmatise people, openly lie, or smuggle highly problematic underlying assumptions into our conversation? And how can we prevent them? A critical philosophical perspective is urgently needed here, to rob them of their power and to take the emotion out of the heated debates about our use of language.

• How 'bad language' works

• Philosophy of language and epistemiology

• A philosophical look at the dark side of our language

Tim Henning is a Professor of Practical Philosophy at the University of Mainz and specialises in ethics. Nikola Kompa and Christian Nimtz are Professors of Theoretical Philosophy - Nikola Kompa at the University of Osnabrück, and Christian Nimtz at the University of Bielefeld.