human body. Regarding dignity “all of the dignities” (toutes dignités) was guaranteed to be equally and publicly accessible in Article 6 of the French Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen of 1789” (Wallach, 2014). This means that the definition of dignity by the church or society in general could now be ascribed to the common man. In just a short time after the French declaration was passed, Judicial torture was abolished in France.
The Growing Awareness of Dignity of Human Beings As the wave of debates against torture as a form of punishment was increasing, so always was the reference to dignity of the human body. The Jean Calas case had clearly sparked something in the society that had previously celebrated torture and were numb to any feelings that should have resulted from seeing a burnt or mutilated body in the streets. Prior to this, “boundaries between bodies became more sharply defined after the fourteenth century” (Hunt, 2008). This means that there was a growth awareness of discipline and autonomy that accompanied social interactions. Art like paintings, music …show more content…
Who doesn’t want to be ascribed a sense of self-worth and value? However, dignity is a very loose word to base a concept as fundamental as human rights on. It could be interpreted in many ways. For example, under the British empire, it was a concept that was used to ascribe freedom to ‘some’ people hence, colonization. It was ascribed to Europeans hence, slavery. Only Christians according to John Locke, excluding people who didn’t believe in God and who did not follow Christian doctrines. The word is subject to various interpretations based on beliefs of the person wielding it. Dignity for a slaveowner will not be applicable to slaves and dignity for a person who believes in the superiority of certain races, will never be ascribed to races that he or she considers as
The Growing Awareness of Dignity of Human Beings As the wave of debates against torture as a form of punishment was increasing, so always was the reference to dignity of the human body. The Jean Calas case had clearly sparked something in the society that had previously celebrated torture and were numb to any feelings that should have resulted from seeing a burnt or mutilated body in the streets. Prior to this, “boundaries between bodies became more sharply defined after the fourteenth century” (Hunt, 2008). This means that there was a growth awareness of discipline and autonomy that accompanied social interactions. Art like paintings, music …show more content…
Who doesn’t want to be ascribed a sense of self-worth and value? However, dignity is a very loose word to base a concept as fundamental as human rights on. It could be interpreted in many ways. For example, under the British empire, it was a concept that was used to ascribe freedom to ‘some’ people hence, colonization. It was ascribed to Europeans hence, slavery. Only Christians according to John Locke, excluding people who didn’t believe in God and who did not follow Christian doctrines. The word is subject to various interpretations based on beliefs of the person wielding it. Dignity for a slaveowner will not be applicable to slaves and dignity for a person who believes in the superiority of certain races, will never be ascribed to races that he or she considers as