Abstract

The notion of “human dignity” is on everybody’s lips. More importantly, it has become a fundamental concept in all areas of life, in politics and society, in technology and science, in religion and the world of work. This chapter seeks to uncover the philosophical groundwork recognizable in the history of philosophy before the notion of “human dignity” was adopted in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and other protocols spread around the world. That includes the close connection of the two notions “dignity” and “person” in medieval theology, ultimately leading to Kant’s prominent concept of “person” and “dignity.” It includes further the idea that human dignity is rooted in human freedom. Finally, human dignity could not be thought of as a universal value, if the idea of the “human as human” had not been developed during the enlightenment.