PHILOS 2D03 Lecture Notes - Lecture 1: Homeostasis, Essentialism, Legal Positivism
24 Sep 2017
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Introduction: human life and the dignity of persons. Inherent dignity = essentially or necessarily an object of respect where respect is understood negatively as what must not be harmed/infringed. Equal and inalienable rights = by virtue of being human you have the same status as any other (viz. having inherent dignity and inalienable rights life, liberty, and security etc. ) A(cid:374)i(cid:373)als i(cid:374) the (cid:449)ild like lio(cid:374)s do(cid:374)(cid:859)t feel guilt fo(cid:396) hu(cid:374)ti(cid:374)g p(cid:396)e(cid:455) Essentialism just by being human that you are an object of dignity because the most real thing has that relation to you (god) and has given you that property. The moral nihilist maintains the view that there is no such thing as dignity and harm in nature. If this is true, then there is no real basis to make moral judgments whatsoever, least of all a universally normative one like that of human dignity.
