What is this "mania for prohibition" that invades both public and private spaces? What does the proliferation of prohibitions imply in our everyday lives, and what consequences does it have on our social ties and our individual and intimate behavior? Do they impose a necessary norm for "living well together", or do they generate a liberating temptation? Henri-Pierre Jeudy redefines the forbidden in all its aspects, from the child who must obey censorship to environmental or public health policies. A book by an anthropologist, a philosopher, a sociologist and a poet, a precise and humorous look at the contemporary world.