IISER MOHALI

AbstractI have planned to address the following set of questions with their possible explanation. First, why does one have to start with the concept such as Humiliation which arguably carries with it negative connotation? The proposed explanation is: since humiliation is an experience near concept hence it comes the methodological priority to begin with conceptual explanation of humiliation. Second, what is humiliation then? I will address this definitional question by making the following argument that humiliation is a sort of claim which can be defended by giving sound reason, reason that could be publicly defended. Third, who can be humiliated? I would argue that those who have a desire for humiliation cannot be humiliated. Or put conversely those who have minimum sense of self-worth and self-respect can be humiliated.

Fourth, what are the modalities that help processing humiliation successfully? These modalities, I argue, are social and cultural practices fostering conventions of humiliation. Language, I argue, is also one of modalities of humiliation. Finally, I would address the most fundamental question: what is the ethics of transcending humiliation? I argue it is the Buddhist conception of Maitree that provides reason for transcendence.