Abstract

Although several philosophers have offered various definitions for self-esteem, philosophy still lacks a comprehensive analysis of this concept. Such an analysis is needed to adjudicate between competing partial accounts of self-esteem, and to properly evaluate arguments based on those partial accounts. It is also needed to help determine if self-esteem is a good, and what kind of good it is. There are also the questions of whether government can intervene to increase the amount of self-esteem held by citizens and whether such intervention is likely to also improve the behavior of those citizens, And is self-esteem something that can, in principle, be enjoyed by everyone, or can it only be enjoyed by an exceptionally talented few, or only by those who adhere to the kind of self-absorbed individualism that is commonly associated with "western" culture? Finally, even if we understand how to promote or facilitate people's self-esteem, there is still the question of whether or not we should do so. This dissertation offers a comprehensive analysis of self-esteem, and provides analysis and answers to the questions raised above