Reflection
I can’t recall ever being overcome with respect but I have certainly been overcome with love, or with disgust. So you might think it doesn’t belong among our strong emotions - our passions.
I think it does: respect (and its opposite, contempt) is something we feel and it can powerfully affect how we relate to others.
Respect seems to operate in two ways. First, a baseline level of respect that isn’t specific to the individual. For example, I respect everyone’s right to be themselves without interference from me (or from anyone). Philosophically speaking, I think about this as every living thing exercising the will to power.
But then there’s also a more individualised type of respect. Respect that isn’t about universal rights or group membership. Respect that is about an individual and their characteristics.
The tricky aspect of this is that this kind of respect usually involves ranking others on a scale. We respect individuals who are ‘above’ us, or at …
