The Nature of Dignity

(Paperback)

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The Nature of Dignity is a highly interdisciplinary work of philosophy that focuses primarily on the form of dignity (or nobility of demeanor) that individuals exhibit to varying degrees, rather than the form of dignity that we tend to presume we always already possess simply by virtue of being human. The book contends that the Enlightenment assumptions that have traditionally been appealed to in elucidating our conceptions of human dignity are no longer tenablemost importantly because of what we know about evolutionary biology, but also in light of certain dominant strains in modern political-economic theory. The book argues that, nonetheless, dignity is a value to which we should remain committed, and offers a new set of conceptual underpinnings with which to replace the no longer tenable Enlightenment assumptions of Kant, Locke, and others on this subject.

Reviews

The Nature of Dignity is dedicated to an inquiry about what Ron Bontekoe calls achieved dignity, the dignity that lies in what weve made of ourselves, not just in the mere fact of our humanity. The philosophy here is richly informed by an extensive interdisciplinary approach that challenges many of the old platitudes about dignity. It should breathe life into an important concept. -- George W. Harris, College of William and Mary
The Nature of Dignity by Ron Bontekoe is a moving treatment of an important topic. It informs and offers much to ponder. -- Michael Ruse, Florida State University
A sustained analysis of the eclipse of the concept of human dignity by Enlightenment thought and its' deepening in post-Enlightenment corporate capitalist societies....The book develops the argument that dignity as virtue has a conceptually strong relationship to the pursuit of the regulative ideals of truth and justice. * Metapsychology Online *

Author Bio

Ron Bontekoe is professor of philosophy at the University of Hawaii.