Self-Respect 7.5 credits

About the course

Self-respect is a crucial concept in contemporary moral and political theory. It plays a prominent role in most leading ethical and political approaches. At the same time, self-respect is an elusive notion. Some regard it as a primarily psychological state, whereas others see it more as an attitude we display towards ourselves, i.e. as an ethical stance.

Either way, maintaining one's self-respect is something many people struggle with, and it is widely believed that the way others treat us, or the way we are treated by the institutions that shape our society, have a major impact on our ability to do so.  

In this course we study the notion of self-respect systematically. We discuss a variety of important philosophical works on the topic, some more conceptual in orientation, others more applied towards discussions of relevant moral and political themes. In doing so, we will encounter views from many different philosophical traditions, including feminism, Kantianism, virtue ethics, and others.  We endeavour to determine how best to understand the notion of self-respect, and to derive its normative implications for ethical and political life.