I went through some personal meditations a few months back around "hubris". Pride, hubris, and humility all posit some linear scale of spiritual worthiness, social value, or self conception.( Read more... )
Humility is comparable, but in reverse - thinking of one's self as below the average. And again, it's a judgment which can be placed by anyone on anyone else, including one's self.
I would posit that humility is often more a matter of not thinking of one's rank or worthiness. Self-deprecation is perhaps closer to what you describe.
Judging somebody else as "humble" in this case (lower in spiritual worthiness, social value or conception, to use your phrasing) would probably use a different adjective. Unworthy, perhaps? "Lowly" springs to mind, though it's a bit archaic.
I mostly agree with you about hubris and nemesis. For somebody to describe your "hubris" is mostly for them to say "I think your self-opinion could be punctured forcibly, and should be."
I've never quite understood the concept of humility, and why it is supposed to be a good thing.
I often hear, or read, people (particularly celebrities) saying that someone or something has made them feel very humble. But maybe that's just a self-promoting tactic: because they're celebrities they think people will assume they are proud and dislike them for that, so they try and deflect it by saying they feel humble.
I've never seen how feeling insignificant or inferior is supposed to be a healthy thing. The opposite isn't healthy either, certainly, but surely somewhere in the middle would be best?
I think "humble" means "of lowered self conception".
People tend to be happiest when everyone has the same conception of their value or when everyone agrees on the values that everyone has.
If a celebrity is believed to have an over inflated self worth, then for them to be humbled may well simply mean that their over inflated self worth has tumbled down to equality. That's basically a win-win because anyone who believes that they don't deserve a higher value is pleased and anyone who does believe they deserve a higher value may well believe they deserve an even higher value for having expressed the ability to feel humble.
Personally, I think many celebrities use "humble" as a code for expressing "awe". I think the two can be related. A good Cirque du Soleil show sometimes engenders awe for me and that can leave me feeling humbled.
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I would posit that humility is often more a matter of not thinking of one's rank or worthiness. Self-deprecation is perhaps closer to what you describe.
Judging somebody else as "humble" in this case (lower in spiritual worthiness, social value or conception, to use your phrasing) would probably use a different adjective. Unworthy, perhaps? "Lowly" springs to mind, though it's a bit archaic.
I mostly agree with you about hubris and nemesis. For somebody to describe your "hubris" is mostly for them to say "I think your self-opinion could be punctured forcibly, and should be."
Reply
I often hear, or read, people (particularly celebrities) saying that someone or something has made them feel very humble. But maybe that's just a self-promoting tactic: because they're celebrities they think people will assume they are proud and dislike them for that, so they try and deflect it by saying they feel humble.
I've never seen how feeling insignificant or inferior is supposed to be a healthy thing. The opposite isn't healthy either, certainly, but surely somewhere in the middle would be best?
Reply
People tend to be happiest when everyone has the same conception of their value or when everyone agrees on the values that everyone has.
If a celebrity is believed to have an over inflated self worth, then for them to be humbled may well simply mean that their over inflated self worth has tumbled down to equality. That's basically a win-win because anyone who believes that they don't deserve a higher value is pleased and anyone who does believe they deserve a higher value may well believe they deserve an even higher value for having expressed the ability to feel humble.
Personally, I think many celebrities use "humble" as a code for expressing "awe". I think the two can be related. A good Cirque du Soleil show sometimes engenders awe for me and that can leave me feeling humbled.
Reply
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