Book review: The Human Right to a Dignified Existence in an International Context – Legal and Philosophical Perspectives
Published date | 01 March 2021 |
Date | 01 March 2021 |
Author | Minou Banafsche |
DOI | 10.1177/1388262720985285 |
Subject Matter | Book reviews |
EJSS
Book reviews
European Journal of Social Security
2021, Vol. 23(1) 91–99
Book reviews
ª The Author(s) 2021
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Logi Gunnarsson, Ulrike Mu¨rbe and Norman Weiß (eds.), The Human Right to a Dignified Existence in
an International Context – Legal and Philosophical Perspectives, 2019, Baden-Baden: Nomos, 121 pp.,
ISBN: 978-3-8487-5812-8 (hardcover).
Reviewed by: Minou Banafsche
, University of Kassel, Germany
DOI: 10.1177/1388262720985285
This volume documents a selection of lectures on human dignity and the right to a decent existence
from a legal and philosophical perspective.
The starting point is the Universal Declaration on Human Rights, which, together with the
International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) and the International Covenant on
Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR), form the basis of universal human rights law. In
their introductory article, Gunnarsson and Weiß outline the right to human dignity, raising fun-
damental questions about its conceptualisation. An essential question is whether human dignity is
the basis of all human rights as a stand-alone right, or whether it is mediated through specific
human rights. Another central question concerns the origin of human dignity: Is it granted to every
human being because they are humans, or is it acquired through performance?
Neuha¨user’s article moves within this area of tension. According to him, individual personality
(genetic characteristic, socialisation, social relationships and skills) is an essential part of human
dignity. Accordingly, human dignity is not only affected in absolute poverty when physical
existence is not (sufficiently) guaranteed. Rather, a person deserves respect for both their humanity
and their individual personality, including their performance. This would necessarily mean that not
every person is or can be treated with equal respect.
Van Bueren takes a broad approach to...
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