Human Dignity: Actual Debates in Germany

Abstract

The article covers the actual debates on the understanding of the human dignity in Germany at the beginning of the 21st century. The discussions of the German lawyers, jurists, theologians, philosophers, pedagogues, political scientist and legal philosophers (Nils Teifke, Paul Tiedemann, Manfred Baldus, Hermann Deuser, Winfried Brugger, Hans Vorländer, Dietmar von der Pfordten, Robert Alexy and others) in the last fifteen years were analysed. The basic position of these discussions is the 1st article of the Constitution of the German Federal Republic (Grundgesetz für die Bundesrepublik Deutschland, 1949). This first article declares that the human dignity is untouchable. In this context German scientists discuss the status of the human dignity (die Menschenwürde, die Würde des Menschen) as the absolutely idea, the law principle, the moral principle, the law concept, the human right, the human value etc. Quite a few jurists (Nils Teifke, Manfred Baldus) accentuate difficulties with the absolutely status of the human dignity. Some philosophers of religion and theologians (Christoph Böhr and other) consider the human dignity in connection with the “conception of God” (das Gottesbild) and the “conception of European human being” (das europaeische Menschenbild). The other scientists place the emphasis on the gender aspects (Silvia Staub-Bernasconi), the age aspects (Ralf Stoecker) and the immigrant aspects (Monika Kirloskar-Steinbach) of the human dignity. Some philosophers, pedagogues and legal philosophers (Arnim Regenbogen, Reinhold Mokrosch) view the human dignity as a human value and write in this context about the “value education” (die Werte-Erziehung). But the other philosophers and legal philosophers (Franz JosefWetz, Achim Lohmar) have a skeptical opinion of the concept of human dignity (“as illusion”) and its realizing. Therefore, in this article these and other human dignity conceptions of the German legal philosophers and other scientists at the beginning of the 21st century are presented and critical analyzed.