This week, on The ABR Podcast, Jessica Whyte reviews A Philosophy of Shame: A revolutionary emotion by Frédéric Gros. Whyte applauds the attempt to ‘revolutionise how we think about shame’ and to consider shame not simply as a retrograde emotion but ‘a resource for political struggle’. But in Gros’ book, writes Whyte, there is ‘abstract quality’ to this discussion and, she says, the pressing question that is not answered by the book is ‘how shame could generate a response to today’s shameless violence’. Jessica Whyte is Associate Professor of Philosophy and Law at the University of New South Wales and an Australian Research Council Future Fellow. Her third book, Shameless Inhumanity, is forthcoming with Cambridge University Press. Here is Jessica Whyte with ‘For shame: Social value of an emotion’, published in the November issue of ABR.

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