About The Workshop
SW 64-Human Dignity: Concept and Conceptions
Convenors: Ricardo García-Manrique;Pablo Scotto
Contact: ricardo.garciamanrique@gmail.com
The concept of human dignity appears in a wide range of international treaties and constitutions and, as such, is invoked with increasing frequency by international and constitutional courts worldwide. However, this increased frequency in the legal use of the concept of human dignity goes along with widespread skepticism about its content and practical implications. The concept has been repeatedly described as empty, redundant, unfounded, or inconsistent.
On this basis, a variety of questions arise: Is there a universally accepted, unified concept of human dignity that can serve as a common legal standard? Are the several conceptions of human dignity, based on different ideologies and cultures, all compatible with one another? Do they allow for a justified and predictable legal use of the concept? In the realm of legal adjudication, does the concept of human dignity offer anything distinctive compared to that of human rights? In legal practice, is the concept of dignity truly necessary? Isn’t the concept of human dignity rather a political concept whose use by the courts unduly limits democracy?
This special workshop aims to contribute to the ongoing debate on human dignity by inviting all participants to tackle and answer these or similar questions.
Language: English
Number of participants: up to 10
Time requested: 1 or 2 sessions (4 or 8 hours), depending on the number of participants.
Proposals from all participants are welcome. Please send an abstract (500 words max.) to the convenors before May 31.
Convenors: Ricardo García-Manrique and Pablo Scotto (University of Barcelona)
Contact: ricardo.garciamanrique@gmail.com
