Abstract
This chapter invites readers to abandon the idea that humanity has an unconditional, nonrelational, and intrinsic value that grounds strong duties of egalitarian respect for persons. Instead, it develops the view that treating as inferior is wrong, when it is wrong, because it attacks another's capacity to develop and maintain an integral sense of self. Treating as inferior is wrong when and because it threatens harm rather than undermines dignity. But why care about our capacity for flourishing in the first place? The chapter argues that we have reasons to care about the flourishing of human beings (and other sentient animals) that are grounded not in the nonrelational worth of their psychological capacities but in the value of the relation between those capacities and their conscious point of view on the world.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Title of host publication | Rethinking the Value of Humanity |
| Publisher | Oxford University Press |
| Pages | 248-272 |
| Number of pages | 25 |
| ISBN (Electronic) | 9780197539361 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 1 Jan 2023 |
Keywords
- dignity
- flourishing
- humanity
- moral equality
- relational value