Human, All Too Human, Part 89 summary
Part 89 of 152 · 2 min to read the part
In 89, the argument separates useful or generous concern for others’ approval from vanity, which seeks personal pleasure even at others’ expense. The vain person creates an inflated reputation, treats other people’s judgments as authority, and uses their approval to support a self-image, even when provoking envy harms personal interests.
What happens
- People value approval because it helps them or gives pleasure to others.
- Vanity begins when approval matters apart from practical benefit or the wish to please other people.
- The vain person gains pleasure by misleading others or provoking painful envy.
- Other people’s judgments become an authority that supports the person’s own inflated self-image.
- The vain person may accept hostility and harm to personal interests for greater delight in the self.
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Why can the vain person overlook personal interests?
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