Human Dignity: A Way of Living

by Peter Bieri, Diana Siclovan (Translator)

Dignity is humanity?s most prized possession. We experience the loss of dignity as a terrible humiliation: when we lose our dignity we feel deprived of something without which life no longer seems worth living. But what exactly is this trait that we value so highly?

In this important new book, distinguished philosopher Peter Bieri looks afresh at the notion of human dignity. In contrast to most traditional views, he argues that dignity is not an innate quality of human beings or a right that we possess by virtue of being human. Rather, dignity is a certain way to lead one?s life. It is a pattern of thought, experience and action ? in other words, a way of living.

In Bieri?s account, there are three key dimensions to dignity as a way of living. The first is the way I am treated by others: they can treat me in a way that leaves my dignity intact or they can destroy my dignity. The second dimension concerns the way that I treat other people: do I treat them in a way that allows me to live a dignified life? The third dimension concerns the view that I have of myself: which ways of seeing and treating myself allow me to maintain a sense of dignity? In the actual flow of day-to-day life these three dimensions of dignity are often interwoven, and this accounts in part for the complexity of the situations and experiences in which our dignity is at stake.

So, why did we invent dignity and what role does it play in our lives? As thinking and acting beings, our lives are fragile and constantly under threat. A dignified way of living, argues Bieri, is humanity?s way of coping with this threat. In our constantly endangered lives, it is important to stand our ground with confidence. Thus a dignified way of living is not any way of living: it is a particular way of responding to the existential experience of being under threat. It is also a particular way of answering the question: What kind of life do we wish to live?

This beautifully written reflection on our most cherished human value will be of interest to a wide readership.

Genres: Philosophy, Nonfiction, Textbooks

248 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2013

About the author

Peter Bieri is a Swiss writer and philosopher, who is better known by his pseudonym, Pascal Mercier.
Bieri studied philosophy, English studies and Indian studies in both London and Heidelberg.

Reviews

[Marc Lamot · Rating 3 out of 5]

Philosopher Peter Bieri presents a very thorough approach of the phenomenon of human dignity from different angles. The book is not too condense or too moralizing, but it does require some attentive concentration while reading. Fortunately, Bieri illustrates his approach as much as possible with familiar examples from very known novels and plays. Arthur Miller's "Death of a Salesman" in particular, Edward Albee's "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf" and many other fictional works are discussed and quoted in depth.
The overall conclusion of Bieri is that human dignity is a very multiform thing: its perception and interpretation varies greatly from individual to individual, from group to group and from culture to culture. As far as the latter is concerned, my firm impression is that Bieri has limited himself only to Western culture, colored by modernism and its stress on individual independence and self-determination (however vague and problematic these terms may be). But even that limitation yields an enormous multicolored nature: dignity is a very dynamic thing, a complex fact that is constantly in motion, very depending on social contexts and like all human phenomena it has its extremes (into the absurd).
Anyone who starts this book with the expectation of getting a normative answer to the question of what exactly human dignity is, will be disappointed, and that is just the most important lesson of Bieri. And fortunately, the author does not lapse into the other extreme of a complete relativism: the notion of 'dignity' is indeed real, plays an important role in our lives, and is bound by specific (but flexible) rules and contexts. It has to be taken very, very serious!

[Miyeonjeong · Rating 5 out of 5]

타인의 동의를 얻기 위해 자신을 배반하지 않는 것, 존엄성을 걸면서까지 남의 마음에 들려고 노력하지 않는 것이다.
이 모든 것이 내 모습이야!
인생에 책임을 진다는 것, 이해하는 것, 인정하는 것.

[Lynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Philosopher Peter Bieri writes a thought provoking book on Human and briefly Animal Dignity. Using examples of reality and of literature, he questions and observes how important dignity is, and what it means to humanity when it is taken away. Slavery and forced servitude is used to deny a person's humanity and slaves were often denied to be human. Abuse is also designed to deny dignity. He looks into dwarf tossing and interviews people who do it and are tossed as well as watching events. A slaughterhouse not only involves raising and killing animals who are never allowed to live for themselves from birth to death but involves workers who must kill these animals among blood, feces and unsafe conditions with low pay. Prisoners and guards in correction facilities face the loss of dignity and effects of being the people who are forced to punishe others. The elderly experience the loss of freedom, control over their bodies and often subject to drugging or forced routines of in nursing homes. Literature used to highlight loss of dignity are The Death of a Salesman, Who's Afraid Of Virginia Woolf?, Sophie's Choice, The Art of Healing and others. Sexual abuse and rape is a topic. I liked numerous quotes and observations and recommend this book. A chapter on lying and liars is important in consideration of the American Presidential administration. Lying reduces the dignity of the people being lied to and eventually, as they are discovered the liars. Great point.

[Yvonne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Een goede toelichting op de romans van Bieri, die hij schreef onder de naam Pascal Mercier.

[Mike · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lucid, thorough, insightful, though-provoking,this is a wonderful book. Though focused on dignity, it has considerable ethical implications. A must read for every serious thinker.

[Kati Ber · Rating 5 out of 5]

ich musste das Buch für den Ethik Unterricht lesen. anfangs habe ich mich sehr geplagt, weil ich mich (aus welchem Grund auch immer) nicht richtig darauf einlassen wollte/konnte.
erst beim dritten Anlauf ist es mir gelungen in das Buch einzutauchen, dann dafür aber richtig!
die vielen Beispiele mögen teilweise veraltet sein, aber sie sind definitiv noch immer gültig. ich konnte auch viele Parallelen zu meinem Leben und meiner Umgebung ziehen. viele Empfindungen und Handelsweisen in meinem persönlichen Umfeld sind jetzt klarer und die Art und Weise wie Menschen handeln und das Warum dahinter ist mir klarer.
ich werde das Buch definitiv auch an Freunde weitergeben.

[Silvio Weitzl · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wenn Würde wieder Würde würde

Bieri nimmt sich den Begriff der "Würde" philosophisch laiengerecht zur Brust. Er geht mit Tatsachenberichten , Referenzen zu Film und Literatur, sowie mit fiktiven Situationen an ein großes, dem Menschen vorbehaltenes Thema heran. Über die Würde im Leben, beim Sterben und im Tod. In kurzen und knackigen Kapiteln, liefert er gute Einsteigerlektüre für Interessierte. Der hohe Anspruch der Romane von "Pascal Mercier" macht es den philosophischen Werken von Peter Bieri spürbar schwer, Schritt zu halten.

[Juan Esteban Mejía-Velásquez · Rating 5 out of 5]

¡Im-pre-si-o-nan-te!

Los dilemas éticos que me planteo este libro me noquearon. No sabía cómo resolverlos ni pensarlos. Dilemas éticos reales no experimentos mentales.

Una idea ronda el libro y es entender que significa el imperativo “Tratar a los demás como fines y nunca como medio”. Entenderlo no en términos abstractos sino vivirlo, matizarlo, mediante el enfrentamiento con problemas complejos.

Me prepararé y volveré a los desafíos que me planteo……

[Carlijn Van Der Hart · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hele uitgebreide (voor mij zelfs wat te?) over menselijke waardigheid. Een onmisbaar boek voor de humanist, en vooral het allerlaatste deel gaf wel wat handvatten voor mijn stage. Ik zou het heel vet vinden als hier eens een hoorcollege of een podcast over gemaakt zou worden, nu was het soms wat overweldigend.

[Ian · Rating 5 out of 5]

A deep and heartfelt exploration into what it means to be human, perhaps our most basic yet overlooked definitions of identity, Bieri methodically unpacks the true meaning of dignity, its role, its essence and its development. Both personal and universal, he suggests we are all in control of how it manifests. It is not a right, it is a way of life.

[Eliza Beth · Rating 2 out of 5]

Naja. Einige kluge Gedanken, gut geschrieben. Aber eine Verletzung der Würde ist es u.a. sich am Flughafen die Schuhe ausziehen zu müssen, bei der Sicherheitskontrolle.
Vielleicht als nächstes ein Buch über Entspannungsübungen?

[Chiyo Akiyama · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very sophisticated and very interesting!

[⭐️]

es para clase de filosofía....

[Stephan Carstens · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ein interessantes, informatives und nachdenkliches Buch. Besonders gut haben mir die vielen Beispiel aus und in Form von Fiktion gefallen - der Pascal Mercier lugt durch.

[Clara! · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well written and understandable but suspiciously similar to Michael Rosen’s book without mentioning him.

[Peer · Rating 2 out of 5]

Although interesting, Bieri needs a lot of words to make his point, sometimes up to the point of driveling. The book would be much better and more clear with some redaction.

[Manfred · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interessant fand ich dass viele Situationen im untersucht wurden: Wird die menschliche Würde Verletzt?Doch darüber hinaus bietet der Autor nichts interessantes. Es macht aber sensibel für entwürdigende Verhaltensweisen. Geschrieben ist es sehr angenehm. Der Autor hat einen sehr Individualistschen Standpunkt.