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Most people tend to respect us according to our status. But what does status amount to? We're constantly surrounded by stories of people who have 'made it': does this make us aspire to greater things, or merely increase our anxiety, as we compare our achievements with theirs? From Hegel, to Ali G, respect is the cornerstone of human exchange, but has the word become overused and emptied of meaning? What values drive respect in our society? And what is its relation to status - and to being likeable? Does the craving for respect mask a widespread failure of self-understanding? Three key thinkers discuss the issues. Author Alain de Botton whose most recent book is Status Anxiety; Richard Sennett is professor of sociology at the LSE, and author of Respect: The Formation of Character in an Age of Inequality; and Fran Abrams, freelance journalist and author of Below the Breadline.