ABSTRACT
The danger for human dignity is human; indissoluble complementarity of human dignity and lack of dignity. The most typical part of modern humanity, the least embarrassed by traditions, seems to realise its dignity through a human omnipotent power, omnipotent even in respect of itself. The concept of human dignity is certainly original, but not that of man qua man and nothing more, but of man qua divine, and, as such, as a 'model'. There are other doubtful aspects of the modern 'realisation' of human dignity. 'Global realisation' seems to militate against the possibilities of conditional and limited but more genuine realisations. The new tenuousness or fragility of respect for human dignity is well known, despite the desire for its universal realisation. The social dissemination of the ideal of human dignity is dialectically opposed to the preservation of those institutions; a distinction which becomes universal tends to iron out concrete and publicly acknowledged distinctions.
