ABSTRACT
Where does human dignity lie? is it an extrinsic property dependent on certain conditions? Or is dignity intrinsic to existence and coextensive with it? Three interrelated ideas coalesce to shape such a perspective. First, that suffering leads to a loss of dignity; second, the absence of choice leads to suffering and indignity; and third, control over self and circumstance facilitates freedom from suffering and in so doing, preserves dignity. Minimising suffering and maximising dignity come to be identified as critical functions of law. The painstaking documentation of suffering necessitated by law and politics further compounds the problem. For suffering to pose questions about one’s worth or identity, it would have to challenge some core quality; dignity would have to be foundational. The present asymmetry between the suffering and those in solidarity with them is thereby softened. The idea of empathy-via-understanding of suffering is a Judeo-Christian conception.
