Abstract
The concept of human dignity plays an increasing role in contemporary ethics, bioethics, and human rights. This chapter aims, first, to present the major paradigms of dignity that have contributed over the centuries to shape the modern idea that every individual has inherent worth and accompanying rights; second, to stress that human dignity holds a prominent place as an overarching principle in the international documents relating to bioethics; and finally, to point out that the idea of dignity plays also an important guiding role as a moral standard for patient care at the bedside.
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Further Readings
Barilan, Y. M. (2012). Human dignity, human rights, and responsibility. The new language of global bioethics and biolaw. Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press.
Chochinov, H. (2007). Dignity and the essence of medicine: The A, B, C, and D of dignity conserving care. British Medical Journal, 335, 184–187.
Rosen, M. (2012). Dignity: Its history and meaning. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
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Andorno, R., Pele, A. (2016). Human Dignity. In: ten Have, H. (eds) Encyclopedia of Global Bioethics. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-09483-0_231
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-09483-0_231
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