New Perspectives on Human Dignity in Asia

Cross-Cultural Interpretations and Dialogue

Brett G. Scharffs, Hannah Clayson Smith, Emily H. Butler

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 2025
• Topic: Law
• eBook ISBN:
  9781040623756
• Subtopic: Comparative Law
• Index: Law

This volume examines the concept of human dignity from uniquely Asian perspectives. As the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) celebrates its 75th anniversary, human dignity is more consequential than ever, yet it is not understood in the same way in every nation or by every culture. Here, human dignity is approached from a number of distinctive viewpoints: its relation to religious freedom in maturing pluralist democracies, its foundation in ancient Eastern philosophy, its pursuit by liberation movements, and its alignment with Buddhism, Islam, and less familiar Indigenous religions. The authors, from various Asian countries, bring extensive scholarship and experience to bear on the project of expanding the idea of human dignity. They present a range of perspectives, having roots as they do in states with distinct religious and cultural traditions that, following the Second World War, have evolved toward constitutional democracies, as well as states where social and legislative developments related to human dignity have been influenced by more collectivist ideologies. The collection will be of interest to philosophers of law, constitutional and human rights theorists and lawyers, political historians, international law specialists and ethicists, and those interested in interfaith dialogue and multifaith engagement.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Half Title
• Title
• Copyright
• Contents
• List of Contributors
• Introduction
• 1 Human Dignity and Asian Values: Ideological Foundations, Ethical Principles, and Legal Practices
• 2 Perspectives on Human Dignity in Bangladesh
• 3 Buddhism and Human Dignity
• 4 Chinese Conceptions of Dignity and Rights
• 5 Chinese Perspectives on Human Dignity: Insights From Chinese Scholars’ Studies
• 6 Human Dignity in the Chinese Constitution
• 7 Human Dignity and Political Natural Law
• 8 The Universality of Human Dignity and Human Rights: An Indonesian Experience
• 9 Are There Notions of Human Dignity in Japanese Religions? An Inquiry Into Folk Religion, Buddhism, and Christianity
• 10 Japanese Dignity From the Perspective of Spirituality
• 11 Choe Je-u’s Religious Experience and the Rise of Human Dignity: Consciousness in the Eastern Learning of Korea
• 12 The One Mind of Seon Master Daehaeng in the Era of Post-Humans
• 13 The Human Dignity of Women Pastors in the Korean Church
• 14 Upholding Human Dignity for Peaceful Coexistence and Social Harmony: A Conversation Between Muslims and Non-Muslims on Principles and Prerequisites in Malaysian Society
• 15 Human Dignity: An Islamic and Malaysian Perspective
• 16 The Basis of Women’s Dignity: A Vietnamese Perspective
• 17 A History of Human Dignity in Vietnam
• 18 Human Dignity: Some Fundamental Issues From the Vietnamese Legal Perspective
• 19 Human Dignity Within Bali Hinduism: Local, National, and Global Perspectives
• Index