A Philosophy of Shame - A Revolutionary Emotion

Can shame become a source of political strength? Faced with injustice, growing inequality and systemic violence, we cry out in shame. We feel ashamed of obscene wealth amid wider deprivation. We feel ashamed of humanity for its ruthless and relentless exploitation of the earth. We feel ashamed of the racism and sexism that permeate society and our everyday lives.This difficult emotion is not just sadness or a withdrawal into oneself, nor is it a paralysing sense of inadequacy. As Frederic Gros argues in A Philosophy of Shame, it arises when our perception of reality rejects passivity and resignation and instead embraces imagination. Shame thus becomes the expression of an anger that is a powerful, transformative force -one that assumes a radical character.In dialogue with authors such as Primo Levi, Annie Ernaux, Virginie Despentes and James Baldwin, Gros explores a concept that is still little understood in its anthropological, moral, psychological and political depths. Shame is a revolu-tionary sentiment because it lies at the foundation of any path of subjective recognition, transformation and struggle.

Product details

• Authors: Frédéric Gros
• Assisted by: Andrew James Bliss (Translation)
• Publisher: Verso
• Languages: English
• Product format: Hardback
• Released: 20.05.2025
• EAN: 9781804294154
• ISBN: 978-1-80429-415-4
• No. of pages: 176
• Dimensions: 150 mm x 216 mm x 18 mm
• Subjects: Humanities, art, music > Religion/theology; Non-fiction book > Philosophy, religion > Miscellaneous; Sociology, PHILOSOPHY / Social, PHILOSOPHY / Political, PHILOSOPHY / Ethics & Moral Philosophy, Ethics & moral philosophy, Social, group or collective psychology, Ethics and moral philosophy, Left-of-centre democratic ideologies