Human dignity: a contract or an abstract?

Seyed Abdosaleh  Jafari; Behin  Araminia; Hanieh  Tavasoli; Nafiseh  Tavasoli; Soheil  abedi; Ahmad Fayaz  Bakhsh

doi:10.18502/jmehm.v17i6.17105

Seyed Abdosaleh Jafari Researcher, University of Religions and Denominations, Research Center for Religions and Denominations; Researcher, Medical Ethics and History of Medicine Research Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Behin Araminia Researcher, Mental Health Research Center, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
Hanieh Tavasoli Resident of Neurology, Faculty of Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran.
Nafiseh Tavasoli Researcher, Endocrine and Metabolism Research Institute, Endocrine and Metabolism Research Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Soheil abedi PhD Candidate in Medical Ethics, Medical Ethics and History of Medicine Research Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Ahmad Fayaz Bakhsh Researcher, Sina Trauma & Surgery Research Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

DOI: https://doi.org/10.18502/jmehm.v17i6.17105

Keywords: Human; Human dignity; Human rights; Personhood; Bioethics.

Abstract

Although human dignity has been the focus of many researchers, fundamental debates about its existence have often been ignored. Different views on human dignity and its existence can lead to divergent interpretations of human rights. In this study, we attempted to find an answer to the question of the nature of human dignity by examining and collecting the opinions of experts and analyzing and criticizing them. Our analysis showed that since dignity is linked to human existence and understanding, it has a subjective nature. Subjective existences have different types, including contractual and abstract. Contractual existence finds its way to objective entities through human thought, and it is changeable. An abstract existence, on the other hand, is created by perception of an objective entity in a constant way among human beings. Human dignity is consistent with the contractual type, because simply seeing a human does not bring to mind the existence of dignity and human rights. Once we accept the contractual nature of dignity, we must determine who bestowed this dignity on man. Through investigations, we came to the conclusion that God is the only one that can grant such privilege, and the existence of dignity for humans is a proof of God's existence.