ABSTRACT
This chapter explores the concept of dignity from the perspective of professional practice and from the expectations of the general public and service users. Steven Pinker has said that ‘The problem is that “dignity” is a squishy, subjective notion, hardly up to the heavyweight moral demands assigned to it’, while Bostrom has argued that the notion of dignity has uncovered a ‘winning formula’ encompassing ‘a general feel-good quality, and a profound vagueness’, which enables all to assert their commitment to it but without ‘endorsing any particular course of action’. Professional expectations of dignity appear to be a central concern for nurses throughout the world. The International Council of Nursing Code of Ethics states: Inherent in nursing is respect for human rights, including cultural rights, the right to life and choice, to dignity and to be treated with respect. The philosophical grounds for treating people with dignity are contested but several criteria have been offered and these are critiqued elsewhere.
