Pondering the human condition
I am Professor of Moral Philosophy at the University of Memphis. My interests center around the subjects of Human Dignity, Respect, and Moral Psychology, especially Empathy and Emotion.
I approach these subjects from both a contemporary and a historical standpoint. Regarding the latter, I focus on the moral and political philosophy of the European Enlightenment, especially of David Hume and Adam Smith.
My new book combines these interests and methods to offer a novel theory of what it means to respect persons. It is titled, The Possibility of Respect: Human Dignity and the Ethics of Difference. Learn more here.
The Possibility of Respect
The ideal that all humans deserve respect is almost universally accepted today. But how well do we live up to this ideal? Even in Western nations, where this moral ideal has become sacrosanct, we suffer daily reminders of our failures to live up to it. Drawing from a wide range of historically underrepresented voices, and real-life reflections, Remy Debes argues that we are missing something important when it comes to respect—and that our existing ideas are part of the problem.
Challenges commonly held assumptions about the history and meaning of respect
Draws on marginalized voices and other sources outside the traditional Western philosophical canon
Written accessibly for readers within and outside of philosophy