Dignity and Indignation in the History of Political Thought

In this course we will examine the political psychology of anger, dignity, and the search for recognition in the history of political thought. What is the relation between indignation, justice, and the demand for recognition of one’s dignity? What problems and paradoxes arise from the search for public recognition, and how do these differ by political context? When recognition is unjustly withheld, is indignation a fitting response, or does all anger reflect irrational confusions? We will analyze, compare, and assess the competing answers to these questions found in the works of Homer, Plato, Aristotle, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Adam Smith, W.E.B. DuBois, Malcolm X, bell hooks, Francis Fukuyama, and Charles Taylor.