Il principio dignità umana

After the «principle of hope» by Ernst Bloch, and the principle of responsibility by Hans Jonas, a third principle has emerged in recent years, at the center of philosophical debate: «the principle of human dignity». In the most dramatic moments of the Twentieth century, facing with the horrors of totalitarianism, we returned to reflect on the meaning of dignity. So, it is no coincidence that at the beginning of the new century we are doing the same even now. In this essay, after having traced the history of this concept from Cicero to Kant, it is shown how, after the Second World War, the dignity from ethical ideal has turned into a legal principle in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948) and in some others Constitution. A transformation that has raised many philosophical and legal questions and that, still today, with the arising of bioethical dilemmas, it causes a conflict of interpretations - because in that principle is at stake the destiny of humankind.