Abstract

Respect for human rights or human dignity is one of our fundamental moral ideas. We believe that it is a universal requirement that all human beings should be respected, independently of their race, gender, religion, orientation, or social status. We also believe that this requirement is always valid. Respect is not necessarily the whole of morality; there might be additional standards of care, culture, and appreciation, for instance. But we think of respect as a fundamental grid or necessary background for living together peacefully. But what, more specifically, does one have to do to respect someone?

In this talk I first reject popular interpretations of respect as not merely using someone, consent, politeness, or second-personal address. While each of these ideas is of prime importance in some contexts, I argue that they are not the universal requirement of respect. I then argue for an alternative reading of respect and try to show that this alternative too is part of our deeply held intuitions.