Dignity, Character, and Self-Respect

This anthology brings together some of the most important contemporary philosophical essays investigating the nature and moral significance of self-respect. Representing a diversity of views, the essays illustrate the complexity of self-respect and explore its connections to such topics as personhood, dignity, rights, character, autonomy, integrity, identity, shame, justice, oppression and empowerment.;The book demonstrates that self-respect is a formidable concern which goes to the very heart of both moral theory and moral life. The essays address numerous questions: What is it to have self-respect or to respect oneself? How does this differ from self-esteem, pride and confidence? What is it to lack self-respect? Does it matter morally whether a person respects herself? Is self-respect a wholly moral, or morally good, phenomenon? How are self-respect and respect for others related, conceptually and practically? How does self-respect operate in contexts of oppression? In the introduction to the book, Robin S. Dillon provides a comprehensive overview of the issues, placing recent contributions within the philosophical tradition and highlighting the relevance of self-respect to current social thinking.