The Concept of Dignity in the Capability Approach A Personalistic Perspective

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The Concept of Dignity in the Capability Approach
A Personalistic Perspective

• Asya Markova, PhD-Candidate
• New Bulgarian University Sofia
• Email amarkova_at_nbu.bg

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Research Questions

• How can we develop a conceptual account of
  dignity that does not exclude persons with mental
  disabilities?
• How can we overcome the rationalistic
  reductionism of the dominant concepts of dignity?

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Martha Nussbaums Concept of Dignity

• Critique on the rationalist grounding of human
  dignity in the free will, the individual
  autonomy, and the ability to be a party in the
  social contract
• Respecting dignity as treating the person as end
  in herself in the plurality in her
  life-activities
• Tautological argumentation as mean weakness of
  Nussbaums conception of dignity to live in
  dignity means to have the list of capabilities
  which a life worthy of dignity presupposes

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The Concept of Dignity from Gabriel Marcels
Personalistic Perspective

• A conceptualization of dignity by contrasting it
  to its opposite
• The spirit of abstraction as the opposite of
  human dignity
• Dignity as resistance to ones own subordination
  upon abstract, impersonal terms and schemes, and
  as ones own affirmation as a person who deserved
  to be loved for her concrete features

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Conclusion

• Human dignity consists in the capability to
  resist to ones own stigmatization and
  reification by others as well as to struggle for
  ones own recognition as a particular person