The Dignity of Humanity

Abstract

AbstractThis chapter argues that the normative significance of humanity is not to be understood in axiological terms (and that it is hence somewhat misleading to speak of the “value of humanity”) but is instead to be construed in distinctly deontological terms (and that it is accordingly preferable to speak of the “status of humanity”). It argues, in particular, that humanity has dignity insofar as humanity is the ground of being a member of the domain over which maxims have to be universalizable. Since the domain of universalization would be empty if there should not be anything having dignity, humanity classifies as the ground of the categorical imperative.