Research Catalog

Contours of dignity

Title
Contours of dignity / Suzy Killmister.
Author
Killmister, Suzy
Publication
Oxford ; New York, NY : Oxford University Press, 2020.

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StatusFormatAccessCall NumberItem Location
Book/TextUse in library JFD 21-2203Schwarzman Building - Main Reading Room 315

Details

Subject
  • Dignity
  • Respect
  • Human rights
Genre/Form
Informational works.
Bibliography (note)
  • Includes bibliographical references and index.
Call Number
JFD 21-2203
ISBN
  • 0198844360
  • 9780198844365
LCCN
2019952032
OCLC
1120698001
Author
Killmister, Suzy, author.
Title
Contours of dignity / Suzy Killmister.
Publisher
Oxford ; New York, NY : Oxford University Press, 2020.
Edition
First edition.
Description
viii, 169 pages ; 23 cm
Type of Content
text
Type of Medium
unmediated
Type of Carrier
volume
Bibliography
Includes bibliographical references and index.
Summary
In Contours of Dignity, Suzanne Killmister sets out an original and innovative approach to understanding dignity. She considers the relationship between dignity and respect, the ways in which shame and humiliation can constitute dignity violations, and the links between dignity and human rights. Departing from the dominant conception of dignity as an inherent feature of all human beings, Killmister instead ties dignity to personal and social standards. She argues for a tripartite theory-comprised of personal dignity, social dignity, and status dignity-in which dignity is to be understood in terms of the norms to which we hold ourselves and others. This revised understanding opens the door to a rich exploration of the moral significance of dignity, and the ways in which dignity can be violated, frustrated, or destroyed. These fresh insights can then help us understand the distinctively dignitarian harms that are inflicted on people when they are tortured, humiliated, or disrespected. Killmister concludes by offering a novel account of human rights, one that is built upon the idea that the 'human' in human rights should be interpreted as a socially constructed category.
Research Call Number
JFD 21-2203
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