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Communicating Praise

Telech, Daniel LU (2023) p.326-336
Abstract
This chapter introduces readers to the view that praise is a form of address, or is communicative in the sense of seeking uptake from its target. The proposal that praise is communicative will seem counterintuitive if we take blame to be our paradigm of what it is for a responsibility-response to be communicative. This is because blame is communicative in a manner that intuitively presupposes some normative failure; it involves calling its target to account (or answer) for some wrongdoing. But, the ‘rightdoer’ already properly regarded the relevant reasons in acting praiseworthily. So, there is nothing for which the praiseworthy agent must similarly account or answer for. How then could praise be communicative in sense of seeking uptake... (More)
This chapter introduces readers to the view that praise is a form of address, or is communicative in the sense of seeking uptake from its target. The proposal that praise is communicative will seem counterintuitive if we take blame to be our paradigm of what it is for a responsibility-response to be communicative. This is because blame is communicative in a manner that intuitively presupposes some normative failure; it involves calling its target to account (or answer) for some wrongdoing. But, the ‘rightdoer’ already properly regarded the relevant reasons in acting praiseworthily. So, there is nothing for which the praiseworthy agent must similarly account or answer for. How then could praise be communicative in sense of seeking uptake from its target? This chapter develops the view that praise is communicative in that it invites the praiseworthy agent to accept credit by co-valuing their action in the evaluative terms supplied by the praiser. This proposal is defended against three objections, namely that it is descriptively inadequate regarding our actual practices, that it is morally mistaken about when we owe others a response, and that it implies redundant communication. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
organization
publishing date
type
Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding
publication status
published
subject
host publication
The Routledge Handbook of Philosophy of Responsibility
editor
Kiener, Maximilian
pages
326 - 336
publisher
Routledge
external identifiers
  • scopus:85175392409
ISBN
9781032252391
9781032252438
9781003282242
DOI
10.4324/9781003282242-36
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
58e8dc39-e1a6-4d79-a99e-1d85dbf41d7f
date added to LUP
2023-12-11 02:05:10
date last changed
2024-04-14 06:10:05
@inbook{58e8dc39-e1a6-4d79-a99e-1d85dbf41d7f,
  abstract     = {{This chapter introduces readers to the view that praise is a form of address, or is communicative in the sense of seeking uptake from its target. The proposal that praise is communicative will seem counterintuitive if we take blame to be our paradigm of what it is for a responsibility-response to be communicative. This is because blame is communicative in a manner that intuitively presupposes some normative failure; it involves calling its target to account (or answer) for some wrongdoing. But, the ‘rightdoer’ already properly regarded the relevant reasons in acting praiseworthily. So, there is nothing for which the praiseworthy agent must similarly account or answer for. How then could praise be communicative in sense of seeking uptake from its target? This chapter develops the view that praise is communicative in that it invites the praiseworthy agent to accept credit by co-valuing their action in the evaluative terms supplied by the praiser. This proposal is defended against three objections, namely that it is descriptively inadequate regarding our actual practices, that it is morally mistaken about when we owe others a response, and that it implies redundant communication.}},
  author       = {{Telech, Daniel}},
  booktitle    = {{The Routledge Handbook of Philosophy of Responsibility}},
  editor       = {{Kiener, Maximilian}},
  isbn         = {{9781032252391}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  pages        = {{326--336}},
  publisher    = {{Routledge}},
  title        = {{Communicating Praise}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.4324/9781003282242-36}},
  doi          = {{10.4324/9781003282242-36}},
  year         = {{2023}},
}