Life Forces - Chapter 7 - Disgust

  Anything that conflicts with our sensibilities is Disgust.  The tertiary emotions are revulsion, contempt, and loathing.  In my opinion, our reactions of Disgust are determined by our environment and upbringing.  What may be disgusting to one person may not be to another.   For example, some people would find it disgusting to not shower or bathe everyday while for others it would be perfectly normal to go longer. In our society where image is often paramount, Disgust can be a social tool. Martha Nussbaum identifies Disgust as a marker that bigoted discourse employs to “place”, by denigration, a despised minority. Removing “disgust” from public discourse constitutes an important step in achieving humane and tolerant democracies.

All is disgust when a man leaves his own nature and does what is unfit. - Sophocles