Ontological Humility: Lord Voldemort and the Philosophers

Explores ontological humility in the history of philosophy, from Descartes to contemporary gender and race theory.

Neither self-effacing modesty nor religious meekness, ontological humility is a moral and philosophical attitude toward transcendence-the unknown and unknowable background of existence-and a recognition and awareness of the contingency and chance that influence the course of our lives. It is a concept that Nancy J. Holland finds both throughout the history of philosophy and acro...