Religious and Philosophical Perspectives on Human Dignity in Dietrich von Hildebrand’s Thought
Dariusz Barbaszyński
Wydział Humanistyczny, Uniwersytet Warmińsko-Mazurski w OlsztynieAbstract
The study investigates the concept of human dignity in the thought of Dietrich von Hildebrand, a German philosopher and theologian. The focus is put primarily on Hildebrand’s religiosity, which has considerable impact on his interpretation of many philosophical issues. That is why he presents the phenomenon of human dignity also in a religious context, writing about it when analysing the metaphysical situation, in which man can experience the dimension of depth – the fundamental meaning of human life. The dimension of depth is not an abstract absolute, a goal of philosophical cognition; it is God, who is eternal and reveals his spiritual-corporeal essence in the Christian message. Hildebrand particularly emphasises the importance of the spiritual dimension of the divine, which is discovered by man also in their human spirituality as the image of God – imago Dei. The meaning of human dignity derives from the fact that man is a spiritual being and a person. Dignity thus understood is called by Hildebrandt an ontological value, which, strictly speaking, is not a moral value, but a good exhibiting an ethical meaning. He also writes about the philosophical meaning of human dignity. It can be said that it is a concretisation of the religious understanding of dignity. The philosophical dimension of human dignity is realised first and foremost in man’s capacity to discover and have moral values. This potential, according to Hildebrand, is realised in acts of human freedom, and human freedom has a moral meaning because it reveals to man the metaphysical, transcendent aspect of their being.
Keywords:
metaphysical situation, dignity, human nature, person, God, moral valuesReferences
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Wydział Humanistyczny, Uniwersytet Warmińsko-Mazurski w Olsztynie
