These laws are applicable to all parties in warfare. Take the Law of Armed Conflict, for example. This brings us back to this near universal acceptance that all people deserve to have their dignity respected, at all times and without conditions. This is why when we see ethical and moral failings in others we can’t use their behaviour to excuse our own similar failings. If we allow even a single person to be denied their dignity because of a set condition, then we risk someone else setting conditions where your dignity does not need to be respected. If we don’t respect it for the worst of us, then it means it is conditional. It is not something someone else gives you or that you earn: it is part of the fabric that makes you human.Įven people who have admitted to committing terrible crimes and will be incarcerated for the rest of their living days must have their human dignity respected. It is based on the unchallengeable dignity inherent in all people.
The type of respect we are talking about in the first principle – the one based in dignity – is unconditional. But if that person were to be found guilty of committing a crime you think is incomprehensible, the respect you had for them might be dimmed or eliminated. Someone might have earned your respect based on a particular skill or achievement you find impressive or admire. In other words this kind of respect is conditional. The first kind of respect – the one most often linked with the word respect – depends on how individual behaviours and characteristics are viewed by others. So, how do we reconcile the uglier side of humanity with the idea that we should respect the dignity of all? After all, crime, hate and discrimination exist.įirst, we need to consider different definitions of respect. We are, after all, humans and humans make mistakes. They don’t, however, make us perfect in how we handle ourselves. Our capacity to reason and to understand the differences between right and wrong give us the ability to understand the importance of doing the right thing.
This concept has come to the point where there is near global consensus, officially, philosophically and intellectually, that every person has equal value and basic human rights.įor this concept to fully be realised, we must all matter equally despite differences in appearance, gender, religion, age, country of origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, race, ability, ethnicity, etc. “Respect the dignity of all persons”, the first ethical principle of the Code, comes from the profound realization that when we accept that every human being has equal value that it gives us a way to orientate ourselves in the world that has amazing impact on our ability to build just, peaceful and prosperous societies.
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It is also the foundation of the DND and CF Code of Values and Ethics. It is the heart of modern ethics and directly informs democratic forms of governance as well as international human rights laws and conventions. A collection of short essays on ethical conceptsĪn addendum to the Conversations on Defence Ethics (CODE): a Defence Team Learning Eventĭignity is central to our humanity.