Pondering shame – philosopher: “Anyone who can feel shame about flying belongs to the elite” – culture

Are you ashamed of the flight to Barcelona or the Sunday steak? The feeling of shame is actually timeless – but red hot, especially in times of climate crisis and vaccination debates. The Austrian philosopher Robert Pfaller deals with shame in his new book “Two Revelations on Shame” – for him shame is now a luxury item.

Robert Pfaller

philosophy professor


Open the person box
Close the person box

Robert Pfaller is Professor of Philosophy and Cultural Theory at the Art University of Linz. In the essay “Two revelations about shame” he takes a close look at how we deal with shame.

SRF: Shame is a luxury today, you say. What do you mean by that?

Robert Pfaller: Today there are many people who are proud of their shame. They self-confidently admit that they find someone embarrassing and are ashamed of the other person. That’s unusual.

Anyone who can feel shame about flying belongs to the elite.

In the usual cases and in the specialized literature of psychoanalysis one is ashamed of one’s shame. Today people seem to have lost this feeling of shame and like to be ashamed. Apparently, this is because they achieve a gain in distinction by being ashamed: they can show that they are something better.

But that shame springs from an abundance. Because we have everything, we can also be ashamed. When we fly too much and say so publicly, we show: I’m aware of it and I want to improve.

This is also an absolute luxury phenomenon. One must not forget that even in Switzerland there are large sections of the population who have never been able to board a plane. Those who can not only fly, but can even feel ashamed of flying, are definitely elite. And shame also identifies them as members of the elite.

How about the shame of others – if you are ashamed of someone else: is that a social act?

This is one of the most interesting aspects of shame. One that has to make you think. You’re not just ashamed of someone. Like maybe a supervisor for a doctoral student at the university or vice versa, the doctoral students for their professor when he writes a stupid article in the newspaper. There is at least a connection that makes you feel a little responsible for the other.

Actually, shame would dictate that one shamefully conceals something.

It’s completely different when you’re ashamed of a complete stranger. You see someone on TV or on the street and feel ashamed of them. Conversely, this shows something about shame: it is actually a feeling of solidarity, embarrassment always affects everyone. When it comes to shame, it’s not just about showing yourself no weaknesses. Everyone else is also obliged to look past it and pretend that this weakness does not exist. Here we encounter the solidarity side of shame.

This solidarity is lacking when you are ashamed of others and trumpet it out into the world. One can feel this feeling of shame, but actually shame would dictate that one shamefully conceals it.

Does that also have something to do with the fact that the good arguments are missing and you then say to someone: “You should be ashamed of yourself”?

Most certainly. This is again a new aspect. In many political disputes we are currently observing such shameful demands or shameful claims. Of course, these are infamous in a very special way, because they make the opponent completely defenseless.

If you say you’re ashamed of me and I should be quiet, then I have no argument left. My reputation is damaged and I can really only disappear. This is also the aim of these attacks. Significantly, this type of attack is completely lacking in arguments.

The interview was conducted by Simone Hulliger and is a Excerpt from the Echo of Time.

book reference


open box
close the box

Robert Pfaller: «Two revelations about shame». Fisherman, 2022.

source site-72