Human Dignity and Bioethics

Defending Human Dignity | 309
worthiness, elevation, honor, nobility, height—in short, of excellence
or virtue. In all its meanings it is a term of distinction; dignity was not
something that, like a nose or a navel, was to be expected or found in
every living human being. Dignitas was, in principle, “aristocratic,”
less in the sense of social class, more in the sense of human excellence
(aristos, from the Greek, means “best”). Even in democratic times, as
the soldiers of the First of Arkansas make clear, “dignity” still conveys
the presence and active display of what is humanly best.
Before attempting further specification of dignity’s substance, let
me address a couple of objections that I anticipate even to what little
I have already said. Some people complain that all notions of dignity
are merely social constructs, projections of the prejudices of (aristocratic)
societies and conferred or attributed from the outside—as
are honor and office. In the same spirit, others object that notions of
dignity that appeal to excellence necessarily deny human dignity to
many or most people, because they are essentially comparative. But if
carefully examined, these complaints are not justified. Yes, societies
accord honor to human excellence—and, yes, different societies esteem
different virtues differently—but in many (if not most) cases the
virtues esteemed are truly marks of superior humanity: the fireman
who rushes into a burning building to save a child or the soldier who
falls on a grenade to save his buddies is deserving of our admiration,
and he will win it in many if not all societies. Mother Theresa and the
Dalai Lama justly earn nearly universal applause; Saddam Hussein
and (3) (of inanimate things) worth, value, excellence. The noun is cognate with
the adjective dignus (from Greek and Sanskrit roots DEIK and DIC, meaning “to
bring to light,” “to show,” “to point out”), literally, “pointed out” or “shown,” and
hence, “worthy” or “deserving” (of persons), and “suitable,” “fitting,” “becoming,”
or “proper” (of things). “Dignity,” in the Oxford English Dictionary, is said to have
eight meanings, the four relevant ones I reproduce here: (1) The quality of being
worthy or honourable; worthiness, worth, nobleness, excellence (for instance, “The
real dignity of a man lies not in what he has, but in what he is,” or “The dignity of
this act was worth the audience of kings”); (2) Honourable or high estate, position,
or estimation; honour, degrees of estimation, rank (for instance, “Stones, though
in dignitie of nature inferior to plants,” or “Clay and clay differs in dignity, whose
dust is both alike”); (3) An honourable office, rank, or title; a high official or titular
position (for instance, “He…distributed the civil and military dignities among his
favorites and followers”); (4) Nobility or befitting elevation of aspect, manner, or
style; becoming or fit stateliness, gravity (for instance, “A dignity of dress adorns
the Great”).