Humility: A History

by Justin Steinberg (Editor)

Overview

The concept of humility has venerable philosophical roots. For instance, Socrates' unparalleled wisdom is exhibited primarily through the recognition of his own ignorance-that is, through his epistemic humility. Humility, whether understood epistemically or morally, has been widely regarded as an important virtue across various philosophical traditions. However, not all scholars and philosophers agree that humility is virtuous, or even that it is a sign of wisdom. Some instead assert that humility involves a misjudgement or an underestimation of oneself, even claiming it impedes the pursuit of excellence. In a timely, pioneering collection of chapters and reflections, Humility: A History examines the shifting conceptions and appraisals of humility across philosophical history from Plato to present-day. The essays in this volume examine important questions about humility: Is it a virtue? If yes, is it moral, epistemic, or both? How does it relate to modesty and shame? Is it paradoxical to ascribe humility to oneself, and if so, why? What is its role in politics, culture, and contemporary society?

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780197778166
Publisher:	Oxford University Press
Publication date:	11/07/2025
Series:	Oxford Philosophical Concepts
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	440
File size:	4 MB

About the Author

Justin Steinberg is Professor of Philosophy at Cornell University. He is the author of Spinoza's Political Psychology: The Taming of Fortune and Fear (Cambridge, 2018), the co-author of Spinoza (Polity, 2020), and the co-editor of the forthcoming Cambridge Spinoza Lexicon volume.

Table of Contents

Introduction, Justin Steinberg1. Platoâs Socrates and Humility, Iakovos Vasiliou2. Humility: Ancient Chinese and Greek Perspectives, Jingyi Jenny Zhao3. Augustineâs âHumilityâ: Neither âMonkishâ nor Monosemantic, Sarah Byers4. Humility, Self-Naughting, and Self-Transcendence: A View from the Islamic Mystical Tradition, Atif Khalil5. Seeking Unworthiness, Self-Knowledge, and Truth: Humility in the Medieval Monastic Tradition of the Eleventh and Twelfth Centuries, Lauren Mancia6. Humility in Later Medieval Philosophy, Martin Pickavé7. Skepticism, Humility, and a Limited Defense of Religious Toleration in Montaigne, John Christian Laursen8. âSay not that you are a light unto yourselfâ: Seventeenth-Century Conceptions of Humility in Epistemology, Ethics, and Politics, Julie Walsh and Eric Stencil9. Spinozaâs Changing Views on Humility Explored through a Cartesian Lens, Sanem Soyarslan10. The Eyes of Others: Hume and Smith on Humility and Qualities of Reserve, Lauren Kopajtic11. Nietzsche on Humility and Modesty, Mark Alfano12. Humility and Modern Jewish Philosophy, Michael L Morgan13. Black Pride and Humility, Chike Jeffers14. Humility, Moral Exemplarism, and Moral Goodness, Nancy E. Snow