Joseph Butler on Self-Reverence as a Moral Duty

Joseph Butler characterizes his account of virtue as fulfilling the “true meaning” of the ancient precept that one ought to revere one’s self. The idea that self-reverence is important to moral conduct opposes a common view that moral conduct involves solely other-regarding attitudes and actions, and it also seems problematic for Butler’s theological commitments as an Anglican Bishop. In this thesis, I provide an interpretation of Butler’s sermons that makes sense of the role self-reverence plays in his moral thought. I argue 1) that self-reverence motivates obedience to conscience, which for Butler, secures virtue, and 2) that for Butler, self-reverence is a genuine obligation that we have. I close by considering reasons why Butler was not more explicit about the importance of self-reverence to virtue