We’re tired of trees. We should stop believing in trees, roots, and radicles. They’ve made us suffer too much [ … ] Nothing is beautiful or loving or political aside from underground stems and aeri...

How one should respond to shame is a moral consideration that has figured relatively little in philosophical discourse. Recent psychological insights tell us that, at its core, shame reflects an unfulfilled need for emotional connection. As such, it often results in psychological and moral damage—harm which, I argue, renders shaming practices very difficult to justify. Following this, I posit that a morally preferable response to shame is one that successfully addresses and dispels the emotion. To this end, I critique two (...) common responses to shame, compliance and anger, and then propose an alternative: the practice of emotional vulnerability. (shrink)

Volume 24, Issue 5, October 2019, Page 3-10.