Equal Dignity: a Commitment in Search of a Rationale

From bioethicists to makers of international law, everyone seems to agree that we must affirm the dignity of human persons-but they don't agree on what exactly that means, and "human dignity" is invoked in support of opposing viewpoints. In this talk, Gilbert Meilaender, distinguished professor of theology and former member of the President's Council on Bioethics, traces and distinguishes several rival concepts of dignity. Only a clear understanding of this conceptual background will put us in a position to affirm the equal dignity of all persons.