ABSTRACT
This chapter argues that the three Kantian requirements—the motive of duty, the requirement of impartiality, and a loss of integrity, personality atrophy, an inability to function appropriately in personal relationships, or an overall loss of happiness. It shows that the specific duties of self-perfection and self-respect not only guard against conduct that would harm the self but also promote healthy personality development. One immediate and obvious response to the alleged self-defeating character of Kantian morality is simply to point out that the criticism is parasitic on the criticisms against the motive of duty, the requirement of impartiality, and the overridingness thesis. The self-respecting agent has integrity, a balanced and well-developed personality, the ability and skills to function well in personal relationships, and, consequently, a substantial opportunity to attain happiness. The Kantian account of self-respect is thereby general, external, and impersonal. Kantians can provide an account of respect for persons that escapes Stocker's criticism that it is self-defeating.
