- What is human dignity?
- History of human dignity
- Elements of human dignity
- Examples of lack of human dignity
- Personal dignity
- Animal dignity
We explain what human dignity is, its history, elements and examples. In addition, personal dignity and animal dignity.
What is human dignity?
The dignity human is the value of persons by themselves, that is, by the mere fact of being. It is not a condition provided by any person or organization, but is inherent to the humanity, without distinction of sex, race, religion or sexual orientation, and it is also inalienable and inalienableIn other words, it is always part of the human condition itself.
Human dignity or human worth can be understood in many different ways and can involve many different things, but overall it is a philosophical and legal concept. Its recognition by the state commits them to combat social, economic or other aspects, which represent a existence unworthy human, that is, stripped of the minimum conditions that any person deserves.
In this way, an existence worthy - or at least worthy of the human being- is usually defined as one that allows you to exploit your capabilities and strive to grow in the world. This is only possible when certain minimum fundamental elements are covered, such as the right to life, to the Liberty, to have a home and to be paid for work, among others.
Most of these rights are contemplated today in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Human rights. On the other hand, human dignity applies in areas of scientific and technical exercise, as part of the ethics Y bioethics, that is, of the behaviors morally reprobate or acceptable to the human being, whether he executes them or suffers them.
History of human dignity
The notion of human dignity has not always existed, nor has it been understood in the same way. What we understand today as dignity has its origin in the doctrine of Christianity, according to which every human being is created in the image and likeness of God, without distinctions regarding their social status or their place of birth, also endowed with a free will with which good or evil can be done.
In this way, the dignity of human existence had to do with the exercise of freedom and freedom. responsibility ("Love your neighbor as yourself"). All human beings were sinners before God, and the same judgment and the same punishments or rewards would be brought to all in the end. Thus, the idea of dignity was separated from the notion of honor in classical cultures, reserved for nobles and men. citizens of ancestry.
Just with him humanism Renaissance dignity was understood as a legal concept, linked to the idea of natural laws, that is, the laws to which any person was entitled by the mere fact of being human.
Thus, a hitherto religious concept became part of a philosophy rational, explainable through arguments logical. This line of thought later inspired the ideals of the Illustration and it was fundamental in the French Revolution and the first declaration of human rights.
Thus, in the middle of the 20th century, once the horrors experienced in Europe during the WWII, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights of 1948 and the creation of international organizations in charge of ensuring them. Thus, human dignity began to be considered as an important element in judicial decision-making, for example by aggravating the sentence of those who attempt against them.
Elements of human dignity
The notion of human dignity is supported by two types of elements:
- Objective elements, which are those of the order of the real, appreciable by any observer, and which have to do with the material and tangible conditions of life, such as access to basic services, access to hygiene, etc.
- Subjective elements, which are those of the individuality of people and which concern their internal and psychological aspects, such as discrimination, affection, identity, etc.
Examples of lack of human dignity
Slavery violates human dignity because it reduces people to mere possessions.The following are obvious examples of a lack of human dignity:
- The slaverysince people are reduced to mere objects or possessions.
- Cannibalism, since it turns others into food and equates it with animals.
- Cruel treatment and torture, since they are ways of violating others without regard for their physical or mental well-being, and regardless of any type of Justice.
- The cloning human being, since it violates the principles of identity and subjectivity, and opens the door to the reification of the human being, treating it as a created product and not as a Living being unique.
Personal dignity
Personal dignity is often spoken of to refer to dignity understood as the individual's own value, that is, to the self esteem. In that sense, dignity is spoken of as synonymous self-worth, such as the awareness that an individual has that he is worthy of a fair treatment, up to par.
Thus, for example, when a person is forced to perform a degrading task, the fact that he performs it without considering himself worthy of such punishment, is considered a sign of dignity. The same when a person refuses to humiliate himself in front of another, considering that his own value is above such mistreatment.
Animal dignity
Similarly, we speak of animal dignity or dignity of animals to refer to the treatment that humans give to non-human living beings, especially animals that have a nervous system that allows them to perceive pain and suffering in a human-like way.
The dignified treatment of animals is part, in a certain way, of human dignity, since animals cannot argue in their favor or in many cases not even understand how they are being subjected to a life of pain and suffering. Which does not prevent them, unfortunately, from suffering. Therefore, the human being, endowed with conscience, is the one who corresponds to give them a dignified treatment, which provides them with the least amount of possible ailments.
People who mistreat animals, according to this perspective, denigrate themselves, violating their human dignity, because they behave in a cruel and embarrassing way for the rest of the species. Animals, in most cases, do not have the tools to defend themselves or to choose a different life.
In the words of the Indian spiritual leader Mahatmas Gandhi: “The greatness of a nation and your progress moral it can be judged by the way its animals are treated ”.