{"id":4511,"date":"2024-10-16T14:58:44","date_gmt":"2024-10-16T14:58:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/deliberativecitizenship.org\/?p=4511"},"modified":"2024-10-25T18:26:18","modified_gmt":"2024-10-25T18:26:18","slug":"respect-matters-why-being-right-isnt-enough","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/deliberativecitizenship.org\/blogposts\/respect-matters-why-being-right-isnt-enough\/","title":{"rendered":"Respect Matters: Why Being Right Isn’t Enough"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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\u201cHarvard is the best<\/strong> university in the United States.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cDerek Jeter was a great<\/strong> baseball player.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

These words echoed through the Davidson College Philanthropic Hall while a crowd of DCI Fellows adjusted their chairs and focused their attention on their guest speaker of the day: Associate Professor of Philosophy Dan Layman. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As part of the Fellows\u2019 weekly meeting, we typically dive into topics related to public discourse and deliberative citizenship. This week Dr. Layman introduced two key types of respect for us to consider: appraisal respect and recognition respect.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, what are these concepts, and what do they have to do with Harvard University and a former shortstop for the New York Yankees?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

First, let\u2019s talk about appraisal respect<\/strong>, which is rooted in admiration for someone\u2019s prowess and ability.\u00a0We\u2019ll take the case of Derek Jeter, and the quote from above. Saying Jeter was a great baseball player is a form of appraisal respect: the speaker is taking the shortstop\u2019s accomplishments – 5 World Series Titles, 14 All-Star Selections, 5 Gold Gloves, and the list goes on – and assessing them based on their apparent value. For this speaker, Jeter\u2019s accomplishments are impressive enough to designate him as a \u2018great\u2019 player. The speaker, then, judges the skills and abilities Jeter has demonstrated on the field as things worth celebrating.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The same thought process applies to the Harvard case. The speaker – after some thought, we\u2019d presume – comes to the conclusion that Harvard is the best university in the U.S. Their exact reasoning here we may not know – it could have something to do with the University having the biggest endowment in the world, its having produced 8 U.S. presidents, or its close association with more than 160 Nobel laureates – but, regardless, the speaker is affording the same type of high regard for the University\u2019s achievements as the previous one did with respect to Derek Jeter. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Both of these examples are forms of appraisal respect if the speaker is basing them on specific reasons or criteria that justify their appraisal. Such claims do not have to be about institutions or professional athletes; they could also be about ordinary people. One could say \u201cMartina is a good person\u201d and that could also qualify as appraisal respect. If someone asked the speaker to explain their reasoning, they could explain their statement with a response like, \u201cWell, Martina carried my groceries up the stairs for me last week, and then she lent Oskars a textbook for math class, so she meets my criteria for being a good person.\u201d The underlying point is that, especially in deliberative contexts, a speaker should be able to formulate grounds for their appraisals and be ready to share those with others when prompted. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here\u2019s the caveat, though. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What if the speaker were to instead say \u201cMartina is a horrible person. Truly, the absolute worst?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In that case, it would be pretty clear that the speaker doesn\u2019t have a huge amount of appraisal respect for Martina. But that doesn\u2019t mean they have zero <\/em>respect for Martina.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That\u2019s where recognition respect <\/strong>– or the notion of respecting another being because, like us, they are another being – comes into play.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Recognition respect suggests that even if the speaker thinks Martina is a horrible person, they shouldn\u2019t go around and treat her disrespectfully. This is because we recognize Martina as a fellow human being and must afford her a decent amount of consideration, despite whatever failings she may have.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let\u2019s say Martina is walking down the hall with a slew of books in her arms. There\u2019s a heavy door about to slam in her face, and instead of assisting her, you let it close on her. In the process, she drops all of her things to the floor. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If she\u2019s gathering her books from the ground and says, \u201cHey! Why did you let that door slam on me?\u201d and in response you shrug and tell her it is because she hasn\u2019t yet earned your respect, then you\u2019d come out of the situation looking like a complete jerk. Why? Because you haven\u2019t shown the proper degree of recognition respect to Martina. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Martina actually didn\u2019t need<\/em> to earn your respect in order for you to hold the door open for her: your recognition that Martina, like you, is another being who deserves consideration –  regardless of how you assess her words or her actions – should be sufficient for you to do so. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Simple enough, right?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, what does this have to do with DCI?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here\u2019s what I\u2019d say: given that D Teams are filled with participants and facilitators who don\u2019t know each other, the idea of appraisal respect may be less relevant in this context. After all, can you truly appraise someone if you met them just minutes ago? Should we judge them on the few words they say as they introduce themselves and share their thoughts on the topic that they may or may not have had a lot of time to think about?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nevertheless, even if we know nothing about someone\u2019s character, or their achievements, or their background, we\u00a0do<\/em>\u00a0know that this person \u2013 like ourselves \u2013 is a\u00a0free and sentient being whose reasons and judgments merit our recognition and, consequently, our fair and careful consideration.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And, in the context of DCI, such recognition respect is crucially important, and it is why egalitarianism is one of the key deliberative dispositions it encourages participants to adapt. In our meetings we explore some very sensitive subjects \u2013 topics that can range from immigration law to reproductive rights – and many participants have perspectives that differ vastly from their counterparts. Even still, the notion of approaching your fellow deliberators with respect and maintaining this consideration – including when the discussion gets heated – is a cornerstone of DCI, and it\u2019s what helps keep difficult conversations going. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u201cHarvard is the best university in the United States.\u201d \u201cDerek Jeter was a great baseball player.\u201d These words echoed through the Davidson College Philanthropic Hall while a crowd of DCI Fellows adjusted their chairs and focused their attention on their guest speaker of the day: Associate Professor of Philosophy Dan Layman.  As part of the Fellows\u2019 weekly meeting, we […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1226,"featured_media":4512,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":true,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[4,27],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4511","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-blogposts","category-fellows","entry"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/deliberativecitizenship.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/R-E-S-P-E-C-T-Grace-Blog-Post-Graphic.png","rttpg_featured_image_url":{"full":["https:\/\/deliberativecitizenship.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/R-E-S-P-E-C-T-Grace-Blog-Post-Graphic.png",1600,900,false],"landscape":["https:\/\/deliberativecitizenship.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/R-E-S-P-E-C-T-Grace-Blog-Post-Graphic.png",1600,900,false],"portraits":["https:\/\/deliberativecitizenship.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/R-E-S-P-E-C-T-Grace-Blog-Post-Graphic.png",1600,900,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/deliberativecitizenship.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/R-E-S-P-E-C-T-Grace-Blog-Post-Graphic-180x180.png",180,180,true],"medium":["https:\/\/deliberativecitizenship.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/R-E-S-P-E-C-T-Grace-Blog-Post-Graphic-300x169.png",300,169,true],"large":["https:\/\/deliberativecitizenship.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/R-E-S-P-E-C-T-Grace-Blog-Post-Graphic-1024x576.png",1024,576,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/deliberativecitizenship.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/R-E-S-P-E-C-T-Grace-Blog-Post-Graphic-1536x864.png",1536,864,true],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/deliberativecitizenship.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/R-E-S-P-E-C-T-Grace-Blog-Post-Graphic.png",1600,900,false],"mini-thumbnail":["https:\/\/deliberativecitizenship.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/R-E-S-P-E-C-T-Grace-Blog-Post-Graphic-75x75.png",75,75,true],"team-member":["https:\/\/deliberativecitizenship.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/R-E-S-P-E-C-T-Grace-Blog-Post-Graphic-600x600.png",600,600,true]},"rttpg_author":{"display_name":"Grace Zagoria","author_link":"https:\/\/deliberativecitizenship.org\/author\/grace_z\/"},"rttpg_comment":0,"rttpg_category":"Blog Posts<\/a> Fellow Posts<\/a>","rttpg_excerpt":"\u201cHarvard is the best university in the United States.\u201d \u201cDerek Jeter was a great baseball player.\u201d These words echoed through the Davidson College Philanthropic Hall while a crowd of DCI Fellows adjusted their chairs and focused their attention on their guest speaker of the day: Associate Professor of Philosophy Dan Layman.  As part of the Fellows\u2019 weekly meeting, we…","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/deliberativecitizenship.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4511","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/deliberativecitizenship.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/deliberativecitizenship.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/deliberativecitizenship.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1226"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/deliberativecitizenship.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4511"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/deliberativecitizenship.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4511\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4527,"href":"https:\/\/deliberativecitizenship.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4511\/revisions\/4527"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/deliberativecitizenship.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4512"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/deliberativecitizenship.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4511"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/deliberativecitizenship.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4511"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/deliberativecitizenship.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4511"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}