Abstract

My dissertation discusses the notion of self-esteem in contemporary moral psychology. I characterize self-esteem as a "felt sense" and draw on Heidegger's notion of Befindlichkeit to indicate how self-esteem involves finding ourselves situated in the world in a certain way. After giving consideration to some reservations about self-esteem, I argue that a form of high self-esteem may be viewed as a kind of virtue or excellence belonging to an exemplary life. I give due attention to the contingency of self-esteem. Specifically, I examine the idea that self-esteem is a product of "constitutive moral luck," but I suggest that a notion of grace is a more fitting description in many cases. In order to show how contingencies in one's past bear on present self-esteem, I incorporate a discussion of Edmund Husserl's analyses of "passive synthesis" and "inner time-consciousness." I suggest that our self-esteem is exposed to bad luck or "disgrace" insofar as we live in a culture with an ethos of competitive individualism and a utilitarian conception of human worth. Drawing on Sandra Lee Bartky, I also explore the negative impact of sexism on the self-esteem of women. I close by hinting at some innate resources at our disposal to combat self-alienation.