Understanding Human Dignity - (Proceedings of the British Academy) by Christopher McCrudden (Paperback)

About the Book

The concept of 'human dignity' has become central to politics, law and theology but is little understood. This book presents a wide-ranging collection of edited essays from specialists in law, theology, politics and history and seeks to define the main areas of current debates about the concept in these disciplines.

Book Synopsis

Understanding Human Dignity aims to help the reader make sense of current debates about the meaning and implications of the idea of human dignity. The concept of human dignity has probably never been so omnipresent in everyday speech, or so deeply embedded in political and legal discourse. In debates on torture, abortion, same-sex marriage, and welfare reform, appeals to dignity are seldom hard to find. The concept of dignity is not only a prominent feature of political debate, but also, and increasingly, of legal argument. Indeed, courts tell us that human dignity is the foundation of all human rights. But the more important it is, the more contested it seems to have become. There has, as a result, been an extraordinary explosion of scholarly writing about the concept of human dignity in law, political philosophy, and theology. This book aims to reflect on these intra-disciplinary debates about dignity in law, philosophy, history, politics, and theology, through a series of edited essays from specialists in these fields, explored the contested concept in its full richness and complexity.

Review Quotes

Understanding Human Dignity is a highly recommendable transdisciplinary book, which provides both a good overview and in depth analysis of contemporary debates about dignity. What makes it particularly valuable and enriching is the constant dialogue between theory and practice in mutually illuminating ways, where conceptual analyses of various ways of grounding and approaching dignity interact with analyses of a rich variety of concrete material from law cases or historical cases.

-- "Iben Damgaard, Theologische Literaturzeitung"

The genesis of this truly remarkable collection of essays and papers ... [draws] together a stellar, multidisciplinary group including historians, legal academics, judges, political scientists, theologians and philosophers, to discuss the concept of human dignity from their various disciplinary perspectives ... It is that interdisciplinary flavour which gives the book its greatest strength-- "David Turner, QC, Ecclesiastical Law Journal"

"The carefully crafted editorial structure of the book and thoughtfully reflective narrative of
this chapter is testament to McCrudden, who addresses the topic with evident enthusiasm and an obvious breadth of human dignity knowledge."

-- European Journal of Health Law

About the Author

Christopher McCrudden, FBA, is Professor of Human Rights and Equality Law at Queen's University, Belfast; Leverhulme Major Research Fellow (2011-14), and William W Cook Global Professor of Law at the University of Michigan Law School. A Fellow of the British Academy, he is the author of numerous titles, including Buying Social Justice (OUP, 2007).