Modesty
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
Fall 2001
Disciplines
Arts and Humanities | Philosophy
Abstract
Modesty is sometimes understood in terms of ignorance and underestimation (one simply doesn't realize how good one really is), a keen awareness of one's relative imperfections (one can always be better), a preoccupation with moral equality (our humanity matters most), or a disinterest in any personal credit for one's attributes or accomplishments (only the work or the cause matters). I point to serious problems with each of these accounts of modesty and I suggest a different understanding of modesty as a virtue.
Recommended Citation
Cunningham, Anthony. “Modesty.” The Dalhousie Review 81, no. 3 (Autumn 2001): 335-358.