In pursuit of human dignity

Abstract

Philosophy publications and in particular healthcare philosophy papers which include the term dignity as a major discussion point are numerous. Indeed, dignity has become something of an evergreen topic, seemingly a perpetual theme in writings on human rights and health care, offering an opportunity for philosophers and others to exercise ingenuity. Yet, it is not unreasonable to ask whether any of these texts significantly advances our understanding of the concept of human dignity itself or crucially, influences its practical application. In the United States, the President’s Council on Bioethics, an eminent body of 17 experts in the field deliberated on dignity over many years, spurred on by rapid developments in the fields of genetics, bioethics and medical innovation. The associated publication Essays Commissioned by the President’s Council on Bioethics (2008), some 550 pages long and containing 20 essays written by members of the commission and by others, provides a comprehensive summary of many key aspects though it is clear that there is not an overwhelming consensus regarding the concept itself or indeed its relevance. It seems that if complete agreement or at least substantial accord is what is required, then the search may prove rather futile. At the same time, the irony is that many if not most members of the general public possess an immediate and clear intuitive understanding of what they perceive to be flagrant infringements of respect for human dignity in health care. Similarly, press reports on aspects of manipulation of fundamental human genetic material, for instance those questioning the use of stem cells or whether ‘‘three-parent IVF’’ should be permitted, tend to stimulate real public concern on either religious grounds or for not being natural. Whilst the term dignity itself might not always feature, it appears at least implicitly to be the nature of the unease. Such concerns as there are indicate that a respect for human dignity is acquired by most of us, like many other fundamental moral attitudes, as part of the process of growing up and living in a cultural community in which certain standards of behaviour are apparent and imbued. Hence, although there may not be significant public awareness of the theoretical concept of dignity nor relevant underlying principles this might not be a serious problem if intuition is all that is required or could be expected. And indeed educating the public could prove to be both difficult and unnecessary other than clearly setting out relevant factual details. So, against this background, just who needs a theoretical concept of human dignity and why? It would seem that the importance of maintaining and enhancing academic scholarship in this field is most applicable in assisting healthcare professionals and administrators to fully appreciate the nature and relevance of human dignity in their practice and in particular to identify contexts where failure D. Badcott (&) Centre for Applied Ethics, Cardiff University, Humanities Building, Colum Drive, Cardiff CF10 3EU, UK e-mail: badcottd@cf.ac.uk