Human dignity – an autonomous or a heteronomous feature Cover Image

Godność człowieka – właściwość autonomiczna czy heteronomiczna
Human dignity – an autonomous or a heteronomous feature

Author(s): Zbigniew Pulka
Subject(s): German Idealism, Marxism, Philosophy of Law
Published by: Akademia Leona Koźmińskiego
Keywords: dignity; alienation; immanent trait of human being; contingent trait of human being; autonomous; heteronomous;

Summary/Abstract: The subject of the work is an attempt to analyze the notion of dignity in legal sciences, especially in legal theory and philosophy of law. The author distinguishes autonomous and heteronomous version of the notion in question. The first way of conceiving human dignity, assumes that dignity, i.e. the worth of human life, is fully independent of social conditions in which people live their lives. This way of conceiving dignity epitomizes Kant’s philosophy of moral autonomy as immanent trait of every human being. The second way of conceiving human dignity assumes that the worth of human life is fully dependent of social conditions in which people live their lives. Consequently, it is taken for granted that there are social conditions in which people can lose dignity as contingent trait of human being. In this case, in order to get back lost dignity, people ought to change social conditions by way of social revolution. This way of conceiving dignity epitomizes Marxist philosophy of alienation. The author tends to point out, that different way of conceiving dignity is followed by serious legal consequences.

  • Issue Year: 10/2018
  • Issue No: 2
  • Page Range: 594-621
  • Page Count: 28
  • Language: Polish