The Inheritance and Innovation of the View of Human Dignity in Chinese Culture

CHANG Jian* & TANG Yingxia**

Abstract: Human dignity is widely regarded as the foundation of modern human rights concepts and norms. The doctrine of human dignity in Chinese culture enjoys a long and profound history, and the pre-Qin assertion that “humans are the most precious” is the most representative expression of human dignity. Ancient Chinese scholars’ elaboration on dignity was ethically oriented; they affirmed that humans have the freedom to make moral choices in spirit and required them to assume moral responsibilities towards others and society. Since modern times, with the changes of the times and the introduction of Western liberalism, the traditional view of moral dignity has seen a significant expansion of its scope, incorporating freedom in economic, political, and social life into the category of human dignity and establishing a closer connection with human rights. In contemporary China, under the guidance of Marxism, the view of dignity regards the free, comprehensive, and common development of human beings as the intrinsic requirement and external manifestation of human dignity, takes the rights to subsistence and development as the primary and fundamental human rights, and comprehensively safeguards the dignity of every individual through the coordinated protection of economic, political, social, and cultural rights.

Keywords: humans are the most precious · human dignity · view of dignity · human rights