The research plan centers on the multifaceted concept of “dignity,” originating from Cicero’s translation of Plato’s ἀξία/axia (human inner worth of a human being) as dignitas. Through historical transitions, Pico connected “dignity” with “human freedom” in the Renaissance, while English empiricism associated it with “rank”/ “status” (social rank/status) in a societal context where it was characterized as a value that increases, decreases, or disappears. In contrast, Kant characterized it as an “inner and absolute value” that cannot increase, decrease, or disappear, and made it an obligatory normative concept. As a result, the concept of “dignity” includes both “social rank/status” and “absolute value.” This corresponds roughly to the current understanding of “dignity” in Anglo-American and German philosophy.

After being critiqued and dismissed by Schopenhauer and others following Kant, the concept of “dignity” experienced a resurgence in the aftermath of two world wars. It was reinstated as a counter concept to the extensive wartime atrocities (The Charter of the United Nations/1945, The Universal Declaration of Human Rights/1948, The Constitution of Japan/1946, The Basic Law for the Federal Republic of Germany/1949). Consequently, the concept of “dignity” was positioned as a principle supporting the new international social order domestically and internationally, whereupon it became a subject of legal interest. Since then, it has been continuously reinforced internationally, particularly by the United Nations and the European Union (Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women/1979, Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities/2006, UNGC/2000, MDGs/2000, SDGs/2015). Along with the development of advanced medical technology, the concept of “dignity” has also gained importance in the field of bioethics as a concept to prevent the abuse of medical technology. Thus, it can be said that the concept of “dignity” has been steadily incorporated into the foundations of the international social order domestically and internationally as a principle to address various problems in modern society and as a new idea of social integration.