Velleman and Shame

In this posting I want to examine the concept of shame. In particular I want to consider David Velleman’s ideas on shame. Velleman defines shame as “anxiety about social disqualification constitutes the emotion of shame” (1). I will argue Velleman’s definition does not easily concur with out intuitions and suggest an alternative definition.

Let it be assumed that I am the last person left alive on earth after some plague. Let it be further assumed that because I have a stoical character I have retained my mental stability. Let it be still further assumed the rest of nature is unaffected by this plague and perhaps even benefits from it. Finally let it be assumed that it is within my powers to prevent damage the environment. Hume famously pointed out that “Tis not contrary to reason to prefer the destruction of the whole world to the scratching of my finger” (2). Let it be accepted Hume is basically correct. It follows in the above scenario, if I am not inclined to stop oil spilling into the environment perhaps because I prefer simply sitting at ease in a chair when only a little more effort would mean I could close a valve to prevent this environmental damage, then there is no rational reason for me to question my decision. It seems to me in such a scenario I might feel ashamed of my laziness and that this sense of shame would force me to question this laziness and act otherwise. However if we accept Velleman’s concept then in this situation I need have no fear of social disqualification and hence will feel no shame. Intuitively I believe in such a scenario I would feel shame. Velleman might object my above scenario is too far removed from reality for me to genuinely speculate as to whether I would feel shame. However I would point out almighty monarchs can feel shame and moreover the above considerations would be applicable in many more mundane situations. I would suggest it is possible to feel shame in a situation in which my actions would be undetectable by others. It therefore seems clear to me that fears about social disqualification offer at best only a partial explanation of shame.

I now want to argue our sense of shame is connected to our sense of self and that it is perfectly possible to feel shame without feeling any fear of social disqualification. If my argument is to be accepted then it should be possible to account for my shame predicted in the above scenario. Someone might point out to me that shame is a moral emotion and that there is a social aspect to shame. She might then argue my attempt to connect shame to a sense of self will fail because it fails to account for these social and moral aspects. I would argue that moral aspects must include both moral agents and those things, such as animals, which are of moral concern. I accept shame is a moral emotion. However I do not accept that shame cannot be connected to a sense of self if it is a moral emotion. Our sense of self is a sense of ourselves as embodied persons having certain attributes. For most of us, sociopaths excepted, this includes a sense of ourselves as moral persons. I would argue this sense of self as a moral person can only grow and flourish in a social setting. I would further argue whilst this sense of ourselves as moral persons may not be a source of great pride or self satisfaction that none the less it is important to us. We care about it. Harry Frankfurt believes caring about something means being satisfied with what we care about. He further believes this satisfaction is not some smug feeling but rather simply no active interest in bringing about a change in affairs (3). In the light of the above I would suggest shame might be simply seen as an unease or dissatisfaction with our sense of self as a moral person.

It seems to me using the above definition of shame it is possible to offer an explanation of my shame in the last man scenario outlined above. In this scenario I have previously acquired a sense of myself as a moral person in a social setting. When I become the last person alive I do not automatically lose this sense and hence still retain a disposition to feel shame even if I have no reason to fear social disqualification. In the light of the above hypothetical example I believe my definition of shame is better able to account for some of our moral intuitions than that of Velleman.

1. David Velleman 2009, How We Get Along, Cambridge University Press, page 95.
2. David Hume, 1978, A Treatise of Human Nature, Oxford, Book II, Section III, page 416, originally published 1739 – 1740).
3. Harry Frankfurt, Necessity Volition and Love, 1999, Cambridge University Press, page 103.