Respect Philosophical Essays

Respect plays a prominent role in contemporary moral philosophy, as well as our every-day moral thought. Ordinary discussion about morality is often framed in terms of demands for respect or complaints about being disrespected, yet basic questions about the concept and role of respect are frequently overlooked. Here, leading philosophers present their latest ideas and fresh perspectives to point research on the topic in new directions. Following an introduction to the historical rise of respect as a central concept in moral discourse, Part I addresses the fundamental questions of what respect is; its nature and basis. Part II then examines questions in moral theory, for example what exactly ought to be respected, what role respect plays in morality, and which different types of respect are appropriate and morally significant. Part III concludes with the practical application of requirements of respect, with implications for significant moral issues of our time including environmental ethics, social justice, disability, bioethics, and more.

Richard Dean is a Professor is Professor of Philosophy at California State University, Los Angeles. He received his PhD from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and has previously taught at Rutgers University and the American University of Beirut. His main areas of research are the history of moral philosophy, especially Kant's ethics, and contemporary normative theory. He also has interests in empirical approaches to moral philosophy, applied ethics, and political philosophy. Oliver Sensen is Associate Professor of Philosophy at Tulane University. He has a PhD from Cambridge University and has previously held the position of teaching fellow at Harvard University, as well as Visiting Professor at MIT, the University of Chicago, and the University of Bremen. He has been invited for a visiting appointment at the Baltic Federal University in Kaliningrad, and is part of the faculty in the Program in Medical Ethics and Human Values at Tulane's Medical School. His research mainly focuses on dignity, autonomy, respect, free will, and Kant's philosophy.