title: Death and dignity in Catholic Christian thought.
abstract: This article traces the history of the concept of dignity in Western thought, arguing that it became a formal Catholic theological concept only in the late nineteenth century. Three uses of the word are distinguished: intrinsic, attributed, and inflorescent dignity, of which, it is argued, the intrinsic conception is foundational. The moral norms associated with respect for intrinsic dignity are discussed briefly. The scriptural and theological bases for adopting the concept of dignity as a Christian idea are elucidated. The article concludes by discussing the relevance of this concept of dignity to the spiritual and ethical care of the dying.
authors: Kilbride-Clinton Professor of Medicine and Ethics, The Department of Medicine and Divinity School, The University of Chicago, 5841 S. Maryland Ave, MC 6098, Chicago, IL, 60637, USA. dsulmasy@uchicago.edu.
authors: Daniel P
authors: DP
authors: Sulmasy
mesh_terms: D002410:Catholicism; D003643:Death; D026690:Ethics, Clinical; D006806:Human Rights; D006801:Humans; D009014:Morals; D028723:Personhood; D010686:Philosophy, Medical; D013727:Terminal Care / Q000941:ethics*
keywords: Christianity; Death; Dignity; Ethics; Roman Catholicism; Spirituality