Individual Autonomy and Responsibility in Late Imperial China By ...

Chapter 4

Human Dignity

The idea of dignity is one of the main concepts associated with that of the autonomous subject. Etymologically the term “dignity” derives from Latin dignitas, specifically referring to the prestige and influence that a male citizen acquired throughout his life in the ancient Roman society, including distinction, high rank, status, position, and honor. This notion has been enriched and modified in the course of history with Neo-Platonic, Hellenistic, Christian, and then Enlightenment contributions. Thus, opinions on this term in Western history are different, and the idea of human intrinsic worthiness has evolved over history and has been interpreted in various ways, depending on the stage of social and economic development and local traditions. The dignity we speak of now is linked with modern Enlightenment thinkers’ elaborations and expressed in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights of 1948, aimed at protecting weaker populations and minorities. A further complication comes from the fact that an equivalent of Menschenwürde (universal human dignity) cannot be found in the Confucian tradition, where the strict idea of “right” is absent. It is rather reasonable, even predictable, because every civilization develops its language and its values. For instance, Zhang Dainian 張岱年 recognizes that human dignity as a