Human Rights and Human Dignity

Abstract

Human rights are intimately related to the notion of human dignity. Both notions are connected in such a way that one cannot be understood without the other. The importance of human rights and the requirement to respect everyone’s rights is based on the notion of human dignity. In that sense, human dignity is considered to be the foundation of human rights. Advocates of human rights and different social movements resort to human dignity in order to justify their claims and their actions. The attack against global poverty, the fight against discrimination, torture and inhumane treatments, and the condemnation of injustice, are all grounded in the notion of human dignity. This central role of human dignity leads to the question of its justification: where does the power of human dignity come from? Or better, why does a person have the dignity that justifies the requirement to respect his rights? The answer to this question depends on the perspective from which one is speaking. That is, from a religious point of view, a philosophical point of view, or an experiential point of view. This chapter will explore these different perspectives. Grasping the relationship between human rights and human dignity enables us to understand that human rights are more about the kind of world rational and reasonable beings would like to live in.