New Books in Psychology

Sara Protasi, "The Philosophy of Envy" (Cambridge UP, 2022)

Aug 29, 2023

Philosopher and author Sara Protasi discusses the multifaceted nature of envy and its various forms. She explores the ethical implications of envy and how it can motivate individuals to level down or level up. The podcast also explores the potential benefits of envy in terms of motivation, competition, and personal growth. Additionally, it delves into the presence of envy in relationships and its historical context, including the discrimination faced by Asian immigrants in the United States. The concept of political envy and its impact on group unity and political change is also explored.

54:00

Episode guests

Sara Protasi

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Episode notes

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Quick takeaways

Envy is a complex emotion that can be categorized into different types, such as amotive envy, inert envy, aggressive envy, and spiteful envy, and it can arise even in relationships we cherish.

Political envy, entangled with jealousy and resentment, can arise within social groups and have detrimental effects on social cohesion and lead to discriminatory policies.

Deep dives

Liberation Day: A Masterful Story Collection by George Saunders

Liberation Day is a thought-provoking story collection that delves into ideas of power, ethics, and justice. With tales encompassing joy, despair, oppression, and revolution, George Saunders challenges and surprises readers. Examples include Love Letter, a tender story set in a dystopian future, Ghoul, which explores a health-themed amusement park in Colorado, and Mother's Day, a tale of two women confronting their shared love for the same man. Liberation Day is now available in paperback, offering readers immersive and thought-provoking narratives.

Introduction

2min

The Philosophy of Envy and its Relationship with Jealousy

14min

Benign Envy and its Ethical Implications

13min

The Positive Aspects of Envy

4min

Envy in Relationships

11min

The Historical Context of Chinese Laborers and Asian Immigrants in the United States

2min

Political Envy: Virtue or Vice?

5min

Exploring Courage and Fear in Social Relationships

2min

Envy is almost universally condemned and feared. But is its bad reputation always warranted? In The Philosophy of Envy (Cambridge UP, 2022), Sara Protasi argues that envy is more multifaceted than it seems, and that some varieties of it can be productive and even virtuous. Protasi brings together empirical evidence and philosophical research to generate a novel view according to which there are four kinds of envy: emulative, inert, aggressive, and spiteful. For each kind, she individuates different situational antecedents, phenomenological expressions, motivational tendencies, and behavioral outputs. She then develops the normative implications of this taxonomy from a moral and prudential perspective, in the domain of personal loving relationships, and in the political sphere. A historical appendix completes the book. Through a careful and comprehensive investigation of envy's complexity, and its multifarious implications for human relations and human value, The Philosophy of Envy surprisingly reveals that envy plays a crucial role in safeguarding our happiness.

Sara Protasi is Associate Professor of Philosophy at the University of Puget Sound

Morteza Hajizadeh is a Ph.D. graduate in English from the University of Auckland in New Zealand. His research interests are Cultural Studies; Critical Theory; Environmental History; Medieval (Intellectual) History; Gothic Studies; 18th and 19th Century British Literature. YouTube channel.

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