Inherent Human Dignity: A Philosophical Meditation

By Glenn Hughes

Inherent Human Dignity explores the philosophical and existential foundations of what it means to be human.

Inherent Human Dignity is a philosophical meditation and defense of the value of being human. Glenn Hughes explores the existential foundations of these concepts in this structured and accessible study about the experience of being human.

Hughes locates human dignity within the philosophical, political, and historical horizons of human culture. Guided by Eric Voegelin and Bernard Lonergan, literary and artistic examples, and his own Christian, Hindu, and Buddhist writings, Hughes unfolds and accounts for human dignity's place in our world. He additionally utilizes key moments of our modern era to frame our understanding of human dignity, paying close attention to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights that was created by the United Nations following World War II. Ultimately, Hughes's meditation is concerned both with exploring the maximally differentiated set of insights into the meaning of being human and with articulating why the discovery of equality of inherent dignity in every person--without exception--is a profound and rare achievement.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0268209960
• ISBN13: 9780268209964
• Release Date: August 2025
• Publisher: University of Notre Dame Press
• Length: 134 Pages