The following is a transcript of this video.
According to the German philosopher Immanuel Kant, self-deprecation, or the tendency to disparage oneself, is morally wrong. He believes that we all have a strict and absolute duty to respect ourselves and to act in a way that upholds our own dignity.
Consider this example: In everyday life, we may be tempted to undervalue or downplay ourselves in order to make our “friends” or superiors feel better about themselves. In fact, the social environment often rewards this behavior with acceptance, favor, or even promotion.
In worse cases, we are expected to allow ourselves to be taken advantage of by others, and we’re punished if we refuse to do so.
According to Kant, by doing so, especially in excess, we would be violating this fundamental moral principle, even when it may generate short-term personal benefits. This is because we treat ourselves as tools for pleasing others, rather than as human beings who are ends in themselves, possessing intrinsic rather than merely instrumental value.
Further, in being excessively people-pleasing, we commit servility, which is the state where we deny our equal basic human rights with others.
Another manifestation of this issue is internal: the harsh, self-critical inner voice that leads us to self-contempt. It breaches the moral law of respecting the inherent dignity of every human being, including ourselves. This behavior not only affects the individual but also those around them.
Many people sometimes feel uneasy witnessing someone excessively belittle themselves. I can relate to that feeling. Based on Kant’s philosophy, we can say that this discomfort arises from a deep-seated recognition that a fundamental rule of moral respect is being violated.
Furthermore, Kant suggests that duties to oneself are a precondition for duties to others. If this is true, it raises concerns about whether a self-deprecating person can fully respect the dignity and equal status of others.
Book & Article Recommendation
For those interested in delving deeper into this subject, I recommend starting with Immanuel Kant’s ‘Practical Philosophy’ and Thomas Hill’s timeless piece titled ‘Servility and Self-Respect.’ To explore Kant’s perspective on self-respect applied to various forms of oppression, I suggest checking out Carol Hay’s book. I’ve included the links to these sources in the description box for your convenience. Feel free to drop down any comments or questions related to this topic.
Immanuel Kant’s Practical Philosophy
Here are some quotes from this book:
(6:420) But a human being’s duty to himself as a moral being only (without taking his animality into consideration) consists in what is formal in the consistency of the maxims of his will with the dignity of humanity in his person. It consists, therefore, in a prohibition against depriving himself of the prerogative of a moral being, that of acting in accordance with principles, that is, inner freedom, and so making himself a plaything of the mere inclinations and hence a thing. – The vices contrary to this duty are lying, avarice, and false humility (servility).
(6:435) On servility. But a human being regarded as a person, that is, as the subject of a morally practical reason, is exalted above any price; for as a person (homo noumenon) he is not to be valued merely as a means to the ends of others or even to his own ends, but as an end in itself, that is, he possesses a dignity (an absolute inner worth) by which he exacts respect for himself from all other rational beings in the world. He can measure himself with every other being of this kind and value himself on a footing of equality with them.
Works by Kantian philosophers:
1. Hill, T. E. (1973). Servility and self-respect. The Monist, 87-104. (JSTOR allows access to 100 articles for free online reading each month).
2. Hay, C. (2013). Kantianism, Liberalism, and Feminism: Resisting Oppression. Palgrave Macmillan.
Ending: Quote by Kant
To end this video, I would like to quote Kant’s words from his “Lectures on Ethics”:
“Nobody can demand that I should abase myself, and consider myself lower than others; though we all have the right to insist that the other should not exalt himself.”
Although we cannot control what others think of us, we can all strive to be the best guardians of our own dignity. By doing so, we learn how to truly respect and love others. Thanks for reading!
