Human dignity between kitsch and deification

While examining the problem of providing a rationale for the moral respect for persons as such, Avishai Margalit points out the dangers inherent in both fundamental humanistic strategies. Idealization of the Human as the possessor of attributes originally ascribed to God creates a culture of domination, while a sentimental view of persons as potential victims gives rise to a culture of victimization. In the author’s opinion, respect for persons can only be founded upon their own membership in the human race, which signifies the ability of any person to occupy a purely horizontal iconic relationship to all other persons.