ABSTRACT
Ernst Bloch pointed out in a particularly emphatic way that the concept of human dignity featured centrally in historical struggles against different forms of unjustified rule, i.e., domination – to which one must add that it continues to do so to the present day. From the perspective of social philosophy, there is an asymmetrical relation between the rich possibilities of demonstrating various forms of "degradation" and the philosophical problem of justifying that in which the essential claim to dignity is anchored. The political and moral stimulus for this conception of dignity is provided by a critique of social power, and this was always also the original inspiration for talk of "human dignity" and "human rights." This chapter discusses the right to justification primarily from the perspective of moral philosophy and in terms of political history. However, a critical theory of social relations calls for a systematic analysis of the practices of justification within a society.
