ABSTRACT
This chapter presents the two families of dignity concepts: dignity as arche and dignity as telos. Arche draws on the idea of an origin or source, as in "archetype" or "archeology." Dignity as arche refers to the dignity inherent in a being that is the source of duties to that being. Telos is a concept meaning goal or target. While dignity "is often seen as hopelessly amorphous or incurably theological", Kant derives dignity as arche without invoking explicitly theological commitments. Dignity as telos refers to the state of the person, self, or patient that aim to achieve. This concept resonates with Aristotelian rather than Kantian traditions. The telos of a thing is its goal, its aim, its final cause, "that for the sake of which". Uncovering the individual's version of dignity as arche and identifying the goals that define dignity as telos for that individual requires an iterative process of successive examination and revision of each in turn.
