“Human Dignity” as “Rationality” — The Development of a Conception

Abstract

As with all philosophical questions, so with the question about the dignity of humankind — it is as old as philosophy itself, and probably (in an implicit sense) as old as the human race. It is foundational, and therefore it is in principle impossible to solve the problem of human dignity finally. On the other hand — and exactly because it is so foundational — it is, like all philosophical questions, also very practical: we are always faced with the question of how to relate to other human beings. Thus the impossibility of finding an adequate final solution to it will not give us an excuse to avoid the question of human dignity, or to just dispose of it as a problem for speculative metaphysicians. In certain situations, those of severe strains on the quality of life and the quality of human relationships (such as my own in South Africa), this question may be more acute than elsewhere. Some of us may therefore be under more pressure to take account of this question; but what we find will probably also be relevant everywhere….