Introduction

• Pages: 1-14
• Date: 18 November 2019
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/978-1-78973-821-620191001
• Published date: 18 November 2019
• Author: Hoda Mahmoudi

Introduction

Hoda Mahmoudi

Human Dignity: A Notion Dened, A Dening Notion

Human dignity denes us. It shapes a narrative of who we are, who we were,

and who we may become. It grapples with ideas of autonomy, spirituality, rights,

responsibilities, and the individual versus the collective. Dening human dignity

provides a means of dening the basic nature of our humanity – a way of answer-

ing the “big” questions. The search for these answers has captivated every tribe,

culture, and nation, and continues to do so today.

But though it is one of the most important topics of our age – and of ages

past – it is also one of the most difcult subjects to discern, describe, or dene. It

can be elusive and squishy. But though it’s meaning and messages are challenging

to enumerate, its importance is beyond question. This is because the concept of

human dignity lies at the fault line of our greatest moral and ethical challenges.

The idea that there is something indivisible and irreducible about the human spe-

cies, and the concomitant demands and responsibilities that this idea confers on

individuals, communities, and states surrounds the debate of every critical soci-

etal challenge. Though we may not always view it as such, human dignity – the

sense of what is right, decent, proper, moral, and ethical about how we relate to

one another – frames all the great questions about our human experience.

Human Dignity: A History

In the Western world prior to 1900, human dignity was associated with the works

of Kant, the writings of the French Revolution, and Catholic social thought1

(particularly the papacy of Leo XIII 1878–1903; Beitz, 2013). To Kant, human

dignity and freedom were intrinsic to all human beings – a status that placed

human beings above all others. In this sense human dignity is inviolable – it can-

not be taken away based on one’s actions. In the writings of the French Revolu-

tion dignity was a responsibility enacted, a code lived-out, and an inner garden

1See Rerum Novarum, Encyclical of Pope Leo Xiii on Capital And Labor. http://

w2.vatican.va/content/leo-xiii/en/encyclicals/documents/hf_l-xiii_enc_15051891_

rerum-novarum.html.

Interdisciplinary Perspectives on Human Dignity and Human Rights, 1–14

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doi:10.1108/978-1-78973-821-620191001