So broadly used in politics, yet so often misunderstood, now reduced to an idea, Dignity is normally defined as "the quality or state of being worthy of esteem or respect." Successfully or not, philosophers have attempted to shed light on the substance of a word that continues to inspire people caught between doubt and hope, destruction and survival.

Egonsson binds dignity with a human Standard Attitude. Worthy is what a majority of people believe is worthy. Thus, dignity may change over time with people's beliefs. The minimal condition to the 'idea' of dignity is, he says, being human and alive. But Aldergrove warns, that being human is not the end of the story. He says it is "an excuse to feel the way you want, or to do what you want... an excuse for any law or policy." He also notes the difficulty to link the statements logically with a concept of dignity, pointing to David Hume who championed the is-ought problem or how exactly can the ought be derived from the is.

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights adopted by the UN on December 10, 1948, states in its article 1: "All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood." The question is, how strong has that faith in 'dignity' been since 1948? Too litte, it seems, considered the Standard Attitude towards issues like overnourishment, as the number of overweight people continues to compete with a growing number of undernourished - see here for a hunger tracker.

Therefore, to avoid a repeat of past mistakes, Jerry Lee rejects the notion of dignity as an 'idea' attached to a Standard Attitude with no finality; instead, brings the element of development at the heart of dignity which he describes as a state of spirit or the ability to self develop, popularly, 'find happiness' or harmony in its own natural environment. Jerry Lee, thereby, realigns with philosophers to only add Development into the equation, reminding that survival without the ability to progress inevitably leads to extinction. Under this definition, overnourishment or undernourishment, the use of prostitution, of working children or domesticated wild-animals are all unworthy cases that call for decisive change, because they obstruct the natural course and development of life.

Related infos: IPD F-Oct 10, 2009, gw's policy on Prostitution and records on Demoniac Attitudes.