Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 15, 2026

Virtual Hand with Ambiguous Movement between the Self and Other Origin: Sense of Ownership and 'Other-Produced' Agency
Published on: October 28, 2020
The tension between self governance and absolute inner worth in Kant's moral philosophy
1Centre for Social Ethics and Policy, Institute of Medicine, Law and Bioethics, School of Law, The University of Manchester, Williamson Building, Oxford Road, Manchester M13 9PL, UK. matti.hayry@manchester.ac.uk
Abstract:
The concepts of autonomy as the self governance of individuals and dignity as the inner worth of human beings play an important role in contemporary bioethics. Since both notions are crucial to Immanuel Kant's moral theory, it would be tempting to think that Kantian ethics could ease the friction between the two concepts. It is argued in this paper, however, that this line of thought cannot be supported by Kant's original ideas. While he did make a conscious effort to bring autonomy and dignity together, his emphasis on the absolute inner worth of our collective humanity made it impossible for him to embrace fully the personal self determination of individuals, as it is usually understood in today's liberal thinking.
Related Concept Videos
Kohlberg's Theory of Moral Development
Pre-Conventional Level
At the pre-conventional level, morality is primarily driven by personal consequences. In Stage...
Self-Discrepancy Theory
Social Foundations of Self III: Self-Evaluation
Carl Rogers' Humanistic Perspective on Personality
The organism refers to an individual's inherent blueprint, which Rogers saw as innately positive and directed toward helping others, unlike Freud's view of the id as driven by base impulses. The self is a person's...
Personal Identity
Sources of Self-Esteem II: Performance Feedback

