Abstract

Luhmann’s argument that human dignity is socially defined – that it depends upon the person’s achievement and his roles in society – has often been criticised as incompatible with our moral intuitions. According to the present essay, presentation of the self in society is an important element in notions of dignity, both in the latter’s traditional form and in its modern form . In order to avoid morally counter-intuitive results, however, it is suggested that dignity should not be related to actual social achievements, but rather to the person’s being empowered to achieve different modes of self-presentation