Martha Nussbaum, a prominent philosopher, analyzes the acts
of urination and defecation as central, "disgusting" reminders of
human animal vulnerability and mortality, which she argues people often try to
hide from through social, legal, and psychological mechanisms. In her work,
particularly Hiding from Humanity: Disgust, Shame, and the Law (2004),
she argues that this aversion to our own bodily waste and need for privacy is
frequently projected onto others, leading to social discrimination,
humiliation, and the denial of dignity to certain groups, thus affecting their
standing as full, equal members of a community. [From AI]
Key Aspects of Nussbaum's Analysis
- The
"Politics of Disgust": Nussbaum argues that disgust is
a powerful, yet irrational, emotion that structures daily life through
privacy seeking, cleansing, and avoidance. This emotion, she contends, is
"per se morally suspect" when used in law or society to make judgments about which groups are seen as "disgusting" or unworthy.
- Contamination
and Mortality: Bodily wastes are seen as "contaminants"
because they are reminders of our animal nature and mortality—that we are
made of "sticky and oozy substances".
- Affecting
Psychological Standing: When social or legal systems (e.g.,
segregated bathrooms, treatment of the disabled) are designed based on
this disgust, it fundamentally violates human dignity and reduces
individuals to "lesser" beings, affecting their psychological
standing in society.
- Rejection
of "Abject" Bodies: Nussbaum explains that the
"abject" is pushed away, and this aversion is used to dehumanize
others—specifically mentioning historical examples of discrimination
against women, gays, and people with disabilities.
- Bodily
Needs and Dignity: Her Capabilities Approach, particularly
Capability 2 (Bodily Health) and Capability 10 (Control over Environment),
argues for environments that accommodate these basic bodily needs without
the necessity of shame, providing a "facilitating environment"
that supports human flourishing and dignity.
Nussbaum argues for the recognition of our "shared
vulnerability," suggesting that acknowledging our animality should lead to
greater empathy rather than a "politics of disgust".
Here is my response:
Nussbaum made this strange argument in order to get attention ... and get her PhD.
Doctoral students have to make a name for themselves, and so they have to make the most outlandish claims with extensive research in order to promote themselves above other doctoral candidates and professors.
She neglected to mention that royal figures like Louis XIV would literally defecate in front of other people, and nobles would routinely relieve themselves (urine and feces) in corners of the rooms where they stood.
When Louis XIV would take care of business on his chaise d'affaires [literally, his "business chair"] while taking care of business with his advisors!
During his reign, Versailles stunk to high heaven with all the human waste that he and his nobles would leave on stairs and in corners.
Other royal figures had this stinking problem, too:
The truth is that indoor plumbing and sewer technology made it possible for all of us to take care of our needs in private.
And privacy is a modern concept, recognizing the value of the individual:
In fact, defecation as a private matter is a Biblical revelation, too!
Think of Saul when he was "covering his feet" in a local cave:
David was about to kill him, but he chose not to "touch the LORD's anointed."
Ehud, a judge of Israel, killed Eglon, the king of Moab, and he was left to die. His staff thought that the king was "attending to his needs" in private, so they didn't bother him:
The point is, defecation was recognized as a private matter for royalty, then it became a public matter for some reason.
But then it went back to being a private matter as a matter of dignity. There's a sense of sanctity about relieving oneself, actually. It's a private matter for that reason, as well.
You even have San Pedro poet Charles Bukowski, who routinely talked about toilets. Check out this summary from AI:
For Charles Bukowski, the toilet is a recurring, potent symbol representing the gritty reality of human existence, mortality, and the necessary, unglamorous aspects of life. It serves as a space for raw, unfiltered honesty, often contrasted with the pretense of "civilized" society. Facebook +1
The symbolism of the toilet in Bukowski's work includes:
- Mortality and Decay: In his poem "beds, toilets, you and me—", Bukowski pairs beds and toilets as the primary locations where humans live and die, piece by piece. It represents the inevitability of bodily decay and the finality of being "flushed away".
- The Reality of Survival: Bukowski highlights the bodily function of excretion as more fundamentally crucial than love or sex, noting that one can die without the former. The toilet is a space where a "good shit" can make one realize they are truly alive, often elevating the mundane to a moment of truth.
- A Sanctuary of Solitude: The toilet, or the small room with a toilet, is portrayed as a place of quiet reflection or even temporary sanctuary, a stark contrast to the chaos or pretension of the outside world.
- A Symbol of Simple Utility: In some instances, it is a simple, practical fixture that requires maintenance—like a leaking toilet handle—offering a quiet, manageable problem in an otherwise chaotic life.
- Rejection of Pretense: Using the toilet is a leveling action, stripping away the "dirty bandages" of civilization, and it represents a space that is unpretentious and brutally honest. Facebook +5
Bukowski uses the imagery of toilets and excretion to force the reader to confront the physical, often degrading reality of being human, while finding a certain "style" in the unfiltered, unvarnished truth of that existence. Reddit
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