What is it that determines if a particular person deserves respect? Do we give respect to people only because of their actions?
Will it ever be possible for humans to respect each other entirely and equally?
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I believe everyone deserve respect and it is possible for humans to respect each other but we all evaluate one another based on who they are and what benefits we get from the other
ReplyDeleteWhat it is that determines if a particular person deserves respect can be the actions they do, their personalities or out of fear (ie respect your boss out of fear of losing your job.) I don't think that we only give respect to people because their actions, since you can respect one's attitude on life as well. I think it will be possible for humans to respect each other entirely and equally, especially if the people have self-respect as well.
ReplyDeleteI do not believe people will ever be able to respect one another entirely or equally because I believe we hold too many prejudice that fog our vision from being objective about a certain situation.
ReplyDeleteI think we apply respect as a means of saying that we agree with another individual or that their views are similar to ours; this is where I think moral code comes into it.
Respect is, in my opinion, our way of creating a group of people we feel most comfortable with or with those we feel we can connect with on a deeper level because we are able to reflect out own personal views from those individuals.
In this regard, I suppose we can take from Sartre's book and apply how we reflect our own ideals through those we are pursuing, which really, is only a type of self assurance that we develop to ensure that our own opinions are 'right' or approved by our peers.
But I suppose we have to question what exactly is respect. What does it mean to have respect for another human being or to give it out in the first place.
In my opinion...Everyone deserves respect but it doesn't mean that a person which hurts you and forces you to give him/her respect should recieve respect...If you want respect, you have to give and show respect. Respect is not given for granted but its earned.
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ReplyDeleteI think people deserve a certain amount of respect but it depends on what kind of facet that they should be respected on. For example if someone is livingg what an aristotle would call a virtuous life by living a life of balance then they should be respected in that sense for they achieved a state of being "whole". This is just one type of person though, people can be respected for many things, for example we respect our elders because it tis thought they have more life experience and have acquired more knowledge in their life time so we are required to respect them.
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion we give respect to people mostly for their actions but it is important to understand that we give them respect based on those actions mean to us. If someone dose something against our morals and values we would hardly respect them no matter how brave was it or significant. For example suicide bombers are giving their lives in name of a greater goal, but I think very few people from the West respect them just because they don not believe in justice being obtained is such way.
ReplyDeleteWell, to answer this question, I'll have to refer to the good ol' Aristetolian Golden Mean theory. As with most personal attributes, a golden mean must to be found in regards to respecting oneself and others in a way that exhibits positive feelings for everyone involved.
ReplyDeleteIt makes no sense to have too much respect for another lest that respect blind us to the truth of the reality that surrounds them. Too much respect can surround someone with a shield against criticism.
" He committed a crime! "
" He is a respectful member of our society! I think he is a great man! Who cares if he's a murderer--he's the richest man in the village! "
I don't think it will ever be possible for everyone on this earth to respect each other. For we will always have people who have higher positions than others and will believe that they are more important or better than others and shouldn't have to pay any mind or attention to the people "below them". I believe we shouldn't have to respect each other but we should be able to understand one another for who we truly are. If the person is a good human being, we should respect them but if they are terrible individuals we should not have to respect them but understand who they are and not pay them much attention for who they are.
ReplyDeletePeople can be respected or disrespected for many reasons. Someone may be virtuous and deserve respect, but if they don't look 'clean-cut' enough they may not get it from others. The majority of people deserve respect, but not everyone is destined to get what they deserve. Then you have to bring in respect versus dignity because respect and dignity share some territory. A murderer may not be respectable, but does that mean they don't deserve dignity in prison. However, if they were released from prison and led a normal life would that make them respectable again. Where should we draw the line?
ReplyDeleteRespect: esteem for or a sense of the worth or excellence of a person, a personal quality or ability, or something considered as a manifestation of a personal quality or ability. A "quality or ability" is something tangible and can be demonstrated. So yes, we do only "give respect", or acknowledge a certain quality or ability of somebody to be virtuous or "respectable".
ReplyDeleteIt is apparent that we will be unable to respect everyone else equally for that if somebody had a surplus of virtuous qualities to be deemed respectable, there will be a deficiency of such qualities elsewhere. Only from a variety of samples can we gather and draw up Aristotle's spectrums of virtues, because the values on these spectrums are relative.
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ReplyDeleteNo, It is not possible for humans to respect each other entirely and equally? As Aristotle mentions in Nicomachean Ethics that we need to have some sort of a balance in order to live a virtuous life. But I believe not every human being has that balance because if every human being had a perfect balance in their lives then we would not have all these horrible things happening in this world.
ReplyDeleteI agree w/ Tayjun that too much respect can lead to no good, it certainly leads to idolizing someone, which, in a way, drives you away from your own experiences and thoughts on your surroundings, as you obsorb someone else's actions and make them a part of your world.
ReplyDeleteI think that it is not the actions of a person that lead to respect, but rather their outlook on the bigger picture. I suppose that we gain respect to someone if, in a way, their beliefs are similar to our own, whether or not it is something we actually subjectify through our actions.
Similarly to Sartre in terms of freedom and subjectivity, we respect others because we see something in them which we want in ourselves or their subjectivity. In one way, if someone can show us a new self or a new idea, something which we admire then we respect them. I think someone's actions are only a part of what they bring to the table. Our object and subject is what makes us whole. Someone can say something profound, or just look at you- maybe ACTUALLY see or listen to you, maybe recognize you are in a certain state- which may give them more respect in your eyes.
ReplyDeleteNevertheless; I think I personally come to respect too fluently, and I forget to respect myself. I think the respect we have for ourselves (similar to Aristotle's virtue concept 'Pride') is what is the determiner for equal respect for each other. If we have respect for ourselves and see ourselves authentically, then we see that to each their own and we can only respect another because of who they are.
I don't respect everybody. In fact to me everyone starts off unworthy of respect; respect is gained through worthy actions, performed with what I perceive as good intentions. Some people, in fact gain disrespect through the performance of what I perceive as heinous acts, or any act performed with bad intentions. Also, for me to respect another person I have to make judgements about their intentions; these judgements are subjective. I cannot know truly what they are thinking, therefore respect isn't even an accurate judgement of another.
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ReplyDeleteRespect is one of those words that is so widely used it has many different meanings to different people. We all seem to know it is important to respect each other because respect is a thing that we all want it and we can all give it to create a world on respect. i think it is possible for human to respect eachother entirely and equally if we dont't let our prejusice ,personal things,culture etc come in the way of respecting. we should care other's feelings,preferences,ideas,dreams,and needs and take them serioulsy. i don't think so we should respect to others on thier action.
ReplyDeleteI believe that out of "necessity and liberty" (Hume), one must approach a situation with respect in order to gain it in return.
ReplyDeleteRespect should be a common courtesy among humans and those who do not respect do not deserve respect.
According to hume, respect is a level of how people look at you. He calls it being the worthy kind of person one seeks to be, and in being so, not in danger of becoming an unworthy person.
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