Contempt and the Cultivation of Character
Macalester Bell urges the cultivation of apt contempt as the best response to what she calls the vices of superiority (arrogance, hypocrisy, racism, and the like). In this essay, I sketch two character profiles. The firstthe ideal contemnorparadigmatically answers the vices of superiority with c...
| Published in: | Journal of religious ethics |
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| Main Author: | |
| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Journals Online & Print: | Drawer...
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| Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
| Published: |
Wiley-Blackwell
[2015]
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| In: |
Journal of religious ethics
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| Further subjects: | B
contempt
B Humility B Character B Macalester Bell B Love B Virtue |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (Verlag) Volltext (doi) |
| Summary: | Macalester Bell urges the cultivation of apt contempt as the best response to what she calls the vices of superiority (arrogance, hypocrisy, racism, and the like). In this essay, I sketch two character profiles. The firstthe ideal contemnorparadigmatically answers the vices of superiority with contempt. The secondthe ideal Christian neighboris marked by humility and love, and answers the vices of superiority in non-contemptuous ways. I argue that the latter character rivals (and may even outshine) the former as a fitting moral response to the vices of superiority. Furthermore, I argue that the two character profiles are incompatible, so one cannot jointly cultivate humble love and contempt. Given contempt's nastiness, and the alternative resources available for answering the vices of superiority, I suggest one should focus one's character-formation efforts on the cultivation of humility and love. |
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| ISSN: | 1467-9795 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: Journal of religious ethics
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1111/jore.12107 |