Overview

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.

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9780198844365

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Killmister's book provides a fresh and stimulating conception of dignity. It opens the door to novel and, I think, productive ways of theorizing about a diverse array of dignitarian and related moral phenomena. . . . moral philosophers will benefit from considering the theoretical possibilities opened up by her account, as I have. * J. Rozeboom, Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews *

Author Information

Suzanne Killmister received her PhD in 2010 from the University of Melbourne. Since then she has taught at Massey University, the University of Connecticut, and Monash University. Her research has focused on three main areas: multiculturalism and group rights, personal autonomy, and dignity and human rights. Her work has been published in journals such as Noûs, Philosophical Studies, Ethical Theory and Moral Practice, and Social Theory and Practice.

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