Human dignity is organically woven into the entire system of social relations; it is the starting point of a person’s place in society and at the same time the benchmark of a certain level of human dignity assurance recognized for the sake of existence and arrangement of society in general. The meaning of human dignity has always been measured by the extent of a person’s freedom within society, i.e., his/her capabilities and rights, while the quantity, content and scope of these rights are constantly changing along with changes and development of society. Human dignity is recognized by many States and by international law as the fundamental value and the source of human rights; however, not infrequently is it violated on a daily basis. The purpose of the article is to demonstrate the gnosiological, ontological and axiological properties of human dignity, to formulate a holistic philosophical and legal approach for disclosure of its contents and its practical application as part of positive law. Following the analysis made, the author concludes that human dignity, after being introduced as a philosophical idea, has found its development in law as a principle of law (objective phenomenon) and a human right (subjective phenomenon). The fundamental nature of human dignity stems from the interrelation with human rights, particularly, its nature as the source of human rights and freedoms. At the same time, interpretation of human dignity as the source of human rights or the stem from which human rights emerge does not negate and even reinforces the subjective right to dignity of every human being (human dignity). Based on the analysis of modern scientific literature, positive law and its interpretation practice, the author offers additional arguments that the idea of human dignity should be associated with the value of a person and assessment of a person’s importance and place in society and the State. Moral and legal assessment is an important tool for modeling human behavior based on which the requirements to human actions are formed. These requirements are interiorized when they are underlain, first of all, by a person’s internal belief that they are useful, beneficial and valuable for him-/herself and for other persons. Thus, a person’s awareness of his/her value contributes to the setting up of his/her right to dignity (dignity of a human being). The concept of dignity of each human being contributes to the setting up of a “common catalogue of values” for the entire mankind, which eventually finds its manifestation as an objective principle of human dignity. The content and meaning of this principle change along with changing ideas about the place and importance of a person in society. At the same time, the principle of human dignity has an impact on everyone’s understanding of his/her dignity (the right to dignity). In such a manner the principle of human dignity and the human right to dignity are interrelated and influence each other, and this is also the way for their progressive development and expansion of contents in response to a changing social environment. The author suggests that human dignity be regarded as a self-value and social importance of a person which is determined by the existing level of social relations, the general social concepts of freedom, justice and equality, and which is a source of human rights and freedoms.

List of legal documents

Legislation

1. Khartiia osnovnykh prav Yevropeiskoho Soiuzu [Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union] vid 7 hrudnia 2000 r. URL: http://zakon.rada.gov.ua/laws/show/994_524 (accessed: 01.06.2018) (in Ukrainian).

2. Konstytutsiia Ukrainy [The Constitution of Ukraine]: Zakon Ukrainy [the Law of Ukraine] vid 28 chervnia 1996 r. № 254k/96-VR. URL: http://zakon.rada.gov.ua/laws/show/254%D0%BA/96-%D0%B2%D1%80 (accessed: 01.06.2018) (in Ukrainian).

3. Mizhnarodnyi pakt pro ekonomichni, sotsialni ta kulturni prava [International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights] vid 16 hrudnia 1966 r. URL: http://zakon.rada.gov.ua/laws/show/995_042 (accessed: 01.06.2018) (in Ukrainian).

4. Mizhnarodnyi pakt pro hromadianski i politychni prava [International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights] vid 16 hrudnia 1966 r. URL: http://zakon.rada.gov.ua/laws/show/995_043 (accessed: 01.06.2018) (in Ukrainian).

5. Statut Orhanizatsii Obiednanykh Natsii [The Charter of the United Nations] vid 26 chervnia 1945 r. URL: http://zakon.rada.gov.ua/laws/show/995_010 (accessed:01.06.2018) (in Ukrainian).

6. Zahalna deklaratsiia prav liudyny [Universal Declaration of Human Rights] vid 10 hrudnia 1948 r. URL: http://zakon.rada.gov.ua/laws/show/995_015 (accessed: 01.06.2018) (in Ukrainian).

Cases

7. Wyrok Trybunały Konstytucyjnego z 15 października 2002 r., sygn. SK 6/02, III.6.2 accessed 20 June 2018 (in Polish).

8. Wyrok Trybunały Konstytucyjnego z 4 kwietnia 2001 r., sygn. K 11/00, III.2 accessed 20 June 2018 (in Polish).

9. Rishennia Konstytutsiinoho Sudu Ukrainy [Decision of the Constitutional Court ofUkraine] vid 29 hrudnia 1999 r. № 11-rp/99. URL: http://zakon.rada.gov.ua/laws/show/v011p710-99 (accessed: 01.06.2018) (in Ukrainian).

10. Rishennia Konstytutsiinoho Sudu Ukrainy [Decision of the Constitutional Court of Ukraine] vid 23 travnia 2018 r. № 5-r/2018. URL: http://www.ccu.gov.ua/novyna/uhvaleno-rishennya-konstytuciynogo-sudu-ukrayiny-no-5-r2018 (accessed: 01.06.2018) (in Ukrainian).

Bibliography

Authored books

11. Barak A, Human Dignity: The Constitutional Value and the Constitutional Right (Cambridge University Press 2015) (in English).

12. Waldron J, The Tanner Lectures on Human Values: Dignity, Rank, and Rights (University of California 2009) (in English).

13. Garkicki L, Polskie prawo konstytucyjne: Zarys wykładu (Wolters Kluwer 2015) (in Polish).

14. Piechowiak M, Dobro wspólne jako fundament polskiego porządku konstytucyjnego (Tom XІ Studiów i Materiałów Trybunału Konstytucyjnego, Biuro Trybunału Konstytucyjnego 2012) nr 2 (in Polish).

15. Dobrianskyi S, Aktualni problemy zahalnoi teorii prav liudyny [Actual Problems of the General Theory of Human Rights] (Astron 2006) (in Ukrainian).

16. Hryshchuk O, Liudska hidnist u pravi: filosofski problemy [Human Dignity in Law: Philosophical Issues] (Atika 2007) (in Ukrainian).

17. Hryshchuk O ta Rabinovych P, Pravo liudyny na kompensatsiiu moralnoi shkody (zahalnoteoretychni aspekty) [Human Right to Compensation for Non-pecuniary Damage (General Theoretical Aspects)] (Svit 2006) (in Ukrainian).

18. Rolz Dzh, Teoriya spravedlivosti [Theory of Justice] (Izdatelstvo Novosibirskogo universiteta 1995) (in Russian).

19. Vlasov A, Problemy sudebnoy zashchity chesti, dostoinstva i delovoy reputatsii [The Problems of Judicial Protection of Honor, Dignity and Business Reputation] (Izd-vo im Sabashnikovykh 2000) (in Russian).

Journal articles

20. Pinker S, ‘The Stupidity of Dignity’ (2008) The New Republic Published accessed 20 June 2018 (in English). 21. Hranat M, ‘Znachennia hidnosti liudyny v konstytutsiinomu pravi’ [‘The value of human dignity in constitutional law’] (2016) 1 Ukrainskyi chasopys konstytutsiinoho prava 59 (in Ukrainian).

22. Khabermas Yu, ‘Kontsept chelovecheskogo dostoinstva i realisticheskaya utopiya prav cheloveka’ [‘The concept of human dignity and the realistic utopia of human rights’] (2012) 2 Voprosy filosofii 66 (in Russian).

23. Rabinovych P, ‘Pravo liudyny na kompensatsiiu moralnoi shkody’ [‘Human Right to Compensation for Non-pecuniary Damage’] (2002) 2 Yurydychnyi visnyk Ukrainy 12 (in Ukrainian).

Conference papers

24. Lener M, ‘Liudska hidnist v Osnovnomu Zakoni Federatyvnoi Respubliky Nimechchyna’ [‘Human Dignity in the Basic Law of the Federal Republic of Germany’] v Shloer B (red), Liudska hidnist: shcho my rozumiiemo pid “hidnistiu”, “liudynoiu” ta “liudskoiu hidnistiu”?: materialy mizhnarodnoho naukovo-praktychnoho seminaru “Liudska hidnist u pravi Nimechchyny, Polshchi ta Ukrainy” [Human Dignity: what do we Mean by “Dignity”, “Man” and “Human dignity”?: Materials of the International Scientific and Practical Seminar “Human Dignity in the Law of Germany, Poland and Ukraine”] (V dele 2017) (in Ukrainian).

Thesis abstracts

25. Belyavskiy A, ‘Zashchita chesti i dostoinstva grazhdan i organizatsiy v sovetskom grazhdanskom prave’ [‘Protection of the Honor and Dignity of Citizens and Organizations in Soviet Civil law’] (avtoref dis kand yurid nauk, 1965) (in Russian).

Websites

26. Mustafa Naiem, ‘Frensis Fukuiama: Putin robyt rivno te same, shcho robyv Hitler’ [‘Francis Fukuyama: Putin Does Exactly What Hitler Did’] (Ukrainska pravda, 27 serpnia 2014) accessed 5 June 2018 (in Ukrainian).