We often speak of the dignity owed to a person. And dignity is a word that regularly appears in political speeches. Charters are promulgated in its name, and appeals to it are made when people all over the world struggle to achieve their rights. But what exactly is dignity? When one person physically assaults another, we feel the wrong demands immediate condemnation and legal sanction. Whereas when one person humiliates or thoughtlessly makes use of another, we recognize the wrong and hope for a remedy, but the social response is less clear. The injury itself may be hard to quantify. Given our concern with human dignity, it is odd that it has received comparatively little scrutiny. Here, George Kateb asks what human dignity is and why it matters for the claim to rights. He proposes that dignity is an 'existential' value that pertains to the identity of a person as a human being. To injure or even to try to efface someone's dignity is to treat that person as not human or less than human - as a thing or instrument or subhuman creature. Kateb does not limit the notion of dignity to individuals but extends it to the human species. The dignity of the human species rests on our uniqueness among all other species. In the book's concluding section, he argues that despite the ravages we have inflicted on it, nature would be worse off without humanity. The supremely fitting task of humanity can be seen as a 'stewardship' of nature. This secular defense of human dignity - the first book-length attempt of its kind - crowns the career of a distinguished political thinker.
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[A] powerful and ambitious book. [Kateb] provides a sterling example of one of the most challenging of genres, the philosophic essay. He writes not just for other scholars but for anyone who loves to think. I won't mislead you by pretending that Human Dignity is easy and pleasant. It is demanding and pleasant, the pleasures being those of an argument that illuminates an important subject...No brief review could do justice to its bold amplitude, its intriguing twists, its problems and provocations. -- Clifford Orwin Globe and Mail 20110311 [Kateb] suggests that the idea of dignity is essential to the idea of human rights. By this he means that human rights are in fact derived from human dignity, which is not some spurious moral precept but an integral part of the human condition. For Kateb, dignity is not, at root, a moral phenomenon but an existential one...It is refreshing to read a work of philosophy that tries to restore some pride to our rather jaded species...Human Dignity...attempts to give human beings their due, not in any spirit of self-congratulation but so that we may build a better life for all. -- Richard King The Australian 20110326
About the Author
George Kateb is William Nelson Cromwell Professor of Politics, Emeritus, Princeton University.
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0 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
I would say the study is deep and well based. However, I would say that, in the end, it deviates from the original idea yo analyze human dignity to a wider analisys on human rights.
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4.7 out of 5 stars
3 reviews
7 of 8 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
Human Dignity and Political Theory
11 Jan 2011
By H. Lee Cheek, Jr., Ph.D.
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Hardcover
In this lucid and highly readable "defense of human dignity" (xii) and rights, Kateb (Princeton University) explicitly avoids the use of theological insights (156), preferring the autonomous individual and human reason as his guides. For Kateb, the equal status of persons and the dignity of the person are not synonymous with the dignity of the species. Human "stature" is viewed as individual achievement, whereas a complete theory of human dignity must include "equal individual status" and the "status of the species" (9). The study predictably values the individual over the community, often discounting communitarian achievements to the promotion of human dignity. While exhibiting much perceptiveness, this study approaches human dignity with what some readers will view as overly modest expectations, perhaps not unrelated to the author's refusal to fully assess the contribution of religious thinking on the topic.
In defending the "inviolability" (31) of human rights on moral and existential grounds, the "golden rule" is offered as the best guide for private morality, while a humane constitution is presented as the "best public morality" (52). Kateb's critique of many prominent thinkers, including Peter Singer, J. S. Mill, and others, and his provocative application of a theory of human dignity and rights to contemporary politics, are significant accomplishments of the book.
H. Lee Cheek, Jr., Ph.D.
Assoc. Vice President of Academic Affairs
and Professor of Political Science
Athens State University
lee.cheek@athens.edu
In defending the "inviolability" (31) of human rights on moral and existential grounds, the "golden rule" is offered as the best guide for private morality, while a humane constitution is presented as the "best public morality" (52). Kateb's critique of many prominent thinkers, including Peter Singer, J. S. Mill, and others, and his provocative application of a theory of human dignity and rights to contemporary politics, are significant accomplishments of the book.
H. Lee Cheek, Jr., Ph.D.
Assoc. Vice President of Academic Affairs
and Professor of Political Science
Athens State University
lee.cheek@athens.edu
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
On Dignity
12 Nov 2011
By Stephen Pellerine
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Hardcover
The book presents itself as a classic philosophical essay indulging into societal matters, perhaps the most important matter: Dignity.
From ancient thoughts extended in antiquity asking "what is dignity" to more modern day texting and the creation and self-absorption of one self's digital identify Kateb (2011) looks at concepts, such as; egocentrism, humanity, status, uniqueness, and morality associated with human rights.
The genre of writing and field (philosophy) is quite new to me. The read was therefore a new experience and took more time than usual, but it was enjoyable. A reflective read. I found myself stopping a lot. Questioning a lot. Underlining more than normal. It is better this way, like a movie you walk away with with a message - not just entertainment: both.
So admittedly not as a philosopher I found the essay quite enjoyable. If you are a philosopher, and have such background, I would advise a flip through the pages (look inside) to get a better impression. I cannot judge the quality of the philosophy, nor an essay on dignity, but I can say the literature itself was splendid.
If in the area for such literature I also found Cosmopolitanism: Ethics in a World of Strangers (Issues of Our Time) quite enjoyable.
From ancient thoughts extended in antiquity asking "what is dignity" to more modern day texting and the creation and self-absorption of one self's digital identify Kateb (2011) looks at concepts, such as; egocentrism, humanity, status, uniqueness, and morality associated with human rights.
The genre of writing and field (philosophy) is quite new to me. The read was therefore a new experience and took more time than usual, but it was enjoyable. A reflective read. I found myself stopping a lot. Questioning a lot. Underlining more than normal. It is better this way, like a movie you walk away with with a message - not just entertainment: both.
So admittedly not as a philosopher I found the essay quite enjoyable. If you are a philosopher, and have such background, I would advise a flip through the pages (look inside) to get a better impression. I cannot judge the quality of the philosophy, nor an essay on dignity, but I can say the literature itself was splendid.
If in the area for such literature I also found Cosmopolitanism: Ethics in a World of Strangers (Issues of Our Time) quite enjoyable.
1 of 3 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Human Dignity
11 Aug 2011
By Donald Antaky
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
An interesting view on the way we treat and should treat each other. It is unique,extensive and thought provoking.It seeks to provide ethical parameters
and to question some traditional approaches.
and to question some traditional approaches.
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4.7 out of 5 stars
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