ABSTRACT

This book reassesses the relationship between human dignity, law, and specifically the ‘personalist’ school of agency. The work argues that a specific way of appreciating dignity is contained in how law understands the person, and so can be used to improve upon how we explain and interpret the law. Despite considerable differences between jurisdictions as regards human dignity in application, it is argued that the particular weight of human persons is the widely shared focal point. The central claim, therefore, is that the law recognises, and tries to foster, the status of personhood, and, drawing on the work of Karol Wojty?a, the author develops a ‘Status of Personhood Theory’. The book will be of interest to academics and researchers working in the areas of Legal Philosophy, Jurisprudence, Philosophy, Ethics and Political Theory.

chapter |6 pages

Outline

chapter 2|45 pages

Philosophy

The personalist conception of human action and affirmation proper to persons

chapter 3|66 pages

Law

The status of personhood and the dignitarian moment

chapter 4|56 pages

Politics

Institutions and the status of personhood

chapter |5 pages

Conclusion