The Concept of Dignity According to Ruth Macklin and Daniel Sulmasy

The Concept of Dignity
Name
Institutional Affiliation
Course
Professor
Date
The Concept of Dignity
The concept of dignity has far been controversial in terms of definition due to the various interpretations possible in the field of medicine. While some people may use it to express respect towards others in society, other groups may use it to denote intrinsic human value. Ruth Macklin and Daniel Sulmasy offer different perspectives, with each defending their position on whether to support or reject the notion of dignity. Macklin proposes the abandonment of the concept of dignity in both moral philosophy and bioethics, while Sulmasy defends its use in the field. Therefore, the controversy surrounding dignity lies in its usage in the bioethics field, with Macklin explaining its lack of meaning, while Sulmasy shows how its different meanings are related and useful to the field.
Dignity as Explained by Ruth Macklin
Macklin (2003) suggest that dignity cannot be used to analyze medical activities ethically. The use of dignity in the medical field has often been vague without specific usage to a particular idea. Therefore, in most cases, users of this concept simply restate other notions to support their stance, thus not adding any value to the understanding of the issue. As a result, dignity in the bioethics field fails to raise sufficient evidence of its importance when dealing with ethical matters.
While a wide variety of international instruments such as those prepared by the United Nations refer to the idea of dignity, they do not expressly refer to issues concerning medical treatment or research. Therefore, in most cases, t...