The Root of the Whole Moral Life of Man (Moral Philosophy of Vladimir Soloviev and the Problem of Shame)

Abstract

The paper analyzes the conception of shame proposed by a brilliant Russian thinker – Vladimir
Soloviev. The theoretical goal of this inquiry into Soloviev’s moral philosophy is to discover some
arguments clearing the emotion of shame of its suspected non-moral or quasi-moral character. The
suspicion arises out of the fact that common experience of shame is connected not only with norms
of non-harming, helping and caring, but also with various sexual taboos. If we assume that morality
is a normative system aimed at the other person, shame turns out to be an emotion that makes it
see morally indifferent demands as moral, and thus disorienting the moral subject. Soloviev insists
that sexual shame is a genuine moral emotion playing a central part in moral life. His belief rested
upon the general moral significance of sexual shame, its role in the ascetic morality and its close
ties with the altruistic morality. The author evaluates these arguments against the background of
contemporary moral psychology and ethical theory.