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What exactly is dignity?

It is non-negotiable - and yet it must be defended time and again: human dignity. If you ask different people what dignity means to them, almost everyone will say: "Human dignity is inviolable". But what exactly is dignity?

Robert Bosch Stiftung | August 2023

Dignity is that which is "above all price". This is how the 18th century philosopher Immanuel Kant put it. A price is subject to market events - dignity, on the other hand, is something absolute. You cannot bargain for dignity. People have dignity. Always. Without preconditions. Even if they are ill. No matter what they do or what colour, religion, nationality or gender they are.

"Dignity is non-negotiable."

Article 1 of our German Basic Law has guaranteed this right to human dignity for over 70 years. It obliges public authorities to respect and protect human dignity. Human beings may not be degraded to mere objects. This message of Article 1 stands as a general clause before all other fundamental rights. It is therefore the most important rule of the Basic Law and an obligation of the state.

Dignity was also a central concept for our founder Robert Bosch. "Be human and respect human dignity" is one of his most famous quotes, first published in his company's employee magazine in 1920. Robert Bosch was not formulating a mandate for the state, but rather an aspiration for every human being - including himself.

What does this mean for us as a foundation? Dignity is rarely explicitly mentioned as a goal for us. Nevertheless, almost all of our projects are concerned with protecting human rights and creating or improving the conditions for a dignified life.

What does dignity mean to you?

For me, dignity is trusting that all people have good intentions first.

Gerald Hensel, member of Fearless Democracy and developer of the HateAid platform

Saskia Uppenkamp

To me dignity means the right to play freely and fairly in a game of any kind. Being able to play, regardless of the colour of your skin, or your gender, religious affiliation, sexual orientation or intellectual capacity gives people dignity. When we can play and dance and laugh together and we all stripped of our layers of prejudice and fear.

Andrew Aris (right), former football professional, president "Spirit of Football"

Dignity means to me that I am equal to all other people. I am no less worthy than any other person. In my work with children, I have never believed in the traditional idea of charity, with one hand giving and another taking. We are not divided into those who give and those who take.

Kailash Satyarthi, Nobel Laureate and Indian child and education rights activist

Björn Hänssler | foto@bopicture.de

To me as scholar dignity means the opportunity to live one’s life to the fullest, knowing that one’s caring will be reciprocated, one’s achievements honored, and one’s shortcomings forgiven. Dignity also means the unfettered enjoyment of the “heaven of freedom” - a place where the mind is without fear and where knowledge is free.

Sheila Jasanoff, Professor of Science and Technology Studies at the Harvard Kennedy School

Martha Stewart

To me dignity means respect in the capabilities of others, which means allowing them the space to voice their wants, needs and opinions and the possibility to contribute in their own capacity.

Niek D'Hondt, Belgian science educator and co-founder of Ekoli, a project of the "Falling Walls Engage" platform

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Dignity means for me that all people, regardless of their age, medical condition or social situation, are cared for in such a way that they can create a self-determined life right into old age.

Katharina Kappelhoff, managing director of the PORT Willingen Diemelsee health network

Tobias Bohm

For me, dignity means that people from different religions and cultural backgrounds treat each other with respect and grant each other the same rights.

Hussein Hamdan, Islam affairs consultant

Lena Giovanazzi

I see dignity as the young generation paying respect to people suffering from dementia for their lifetime achievements. For me, dignity also means that no distinctions are made in caring for our senior citizens, regardless of their background.

Ergun Can, former city councilor and dementia counsellor; member of the Demigranz network

die arge lola, Kai Loges + Andreas Langen

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On the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the Basic Law, the initiative "Deine Würde" (Your Dignity), supported by the Robert Bosch Stiftung, offered various approaches to the topic with digital and interactive elements, addressing young people in particular. In addition to the social video #DeineWürde, there was a theatre performance that dealt with dignity in the age of artificial intelligence and eight YouTubers who dealt with the topic in the context of their own lives on their own video channels. The initiative kicked off at the beginning of May 2019 at TINCON, the festival for digital youth culture in Berlin, with the premiere of the social video of the same name and a discussion with young YouTubers about the protection of human dignity in the digital space.

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