Human dignity - an "empty formula"? The concept "human dignity' in bioethics

Within bioethical debate, more and more the lustrous term,human dignity" is brought into play. Yet often it is merely a,winning argurnent". This contribution tries - in the midst of inflationary language use - to develop a consensual concept of human dignity, which could contribute to the solution of bioethical controversies. Firstly a demarcation is sought to the,contingent human dignity" (1) and the,paradoxes of human dignity" are being elucidated (2). Then we distinguish between the,generic point of view" (3) and the,individual point of view" (4), whereas the latter can be specified to,inner dignity" (4.1) and the,depiction of dignity" (4.2). Each theoretical discussion includes an exemplary application within the field of euthanasia.