Dignity or Goodness of Creatures? The idea of dignity in the horizon of bioethics.

• Applicant: Dr. Heike Baranzke
• Subject Area: Roman Catholic Theology
• Term: from 2002 to 2003
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 5379938

Since 1992 the so called "dignity of creatures" does exist as a new legal concept in the Swiss Federal Constitution. Recognizing this fact the study examines the history of the ideas of the so called "dignity of creatures" and the well known "dignity of man" and determines their systematical relationship to each other. Since about 10 years there is a growing use of the so called "creational dignity" of animals and plants in contexts of bio- and genetechnoloy and of animal ethics. This bio- and animal ethical usage is not aware of the difference between the traditions of the ideas and concepts of the two value-terms. Our examination demonstrates the different origins and extensions of these two value-convictions and discriminates them als "Bonitas-" and "Dignitas"-traditions. So the study shows the mere equivocation of the two value-concepts if translations in both cases make use of the concept of dignity. Reason are, that on the one hand the history of ideas of the concept of the goodness of creation - the middle ages knew it as vestigia Dei - is no longer well known, on the other hand, that the religious connotation of the term "creatures" is problematic in legal texts of secular states. Nevertheless it is misleading and dangerous for the concept of human dignity to translate "Würde der Kreatur" into "dignity of creatures". It should be preferred to translate it into "goodness of creatures". This way the fundamental difference between the two value concepts of human dignity and the basically goodness of all creatures could be shown. With the help of the Kantian Ethic and the reflection on the relationship between dignity and happiness the study tries to relate the different value concepts systematically and tries to develop a foundational argumentation for discussing and evaluating present positions of animal ethics. The paradigm of the human-animal-relationship includes man´s relation to an external animal as well as his relation to the "animal in man" as there is man´s own physical and emotive structure. This perspective proves animal ethics an integral part of an interspeciesistic bioethic without weakening the concept of human dignity and may help to develop an holistic anthropological foundation of an human bioethic. Immanuel Kants discrimination between negative duties of respect and positive duties of care is of high relevance in this context.

• DFG Programme: Publication Grants