This volume is devoted to exploring a subject which,
on the surface, might appear to be just a trending topic. In fact, it is much
more than a trend. It relates to an ancient, permanent issue which directly
connects with people’s life and basic needs: the recognition and protection of
individuals’ dignity, in particular the inherent worthiness of the most
vulnerable human beings. The content of this book is described well enough by
its title: ‘Human Dignity of the
Vulnerable in the Age of Rights’. Certainly, we do not claim that only the
human dignity of vulnerable people should be recognized and protected. We
rather argue that, since vulnerability is part of the human condition, human
vulnerability is not at odds with human dignity. To put it simply, human
dignity is compatible with vulnerability.

A concept of human dignity which discards or denies
the dignity of the vulnerable and weak is at odds with the real human
condition. Even those individuals who might seem more skilled and talented are
fragile, vulnerable and limited. We need to realize that human condition is not
limitless. It is crucial to re-discover a sense of moderation regarding
ourselves, a sense of reality concerning our own nature. Some lines of thought
take the opposite view. It is sometimes argued that humankind is – or is called
to be – powerful, and that the time will come when there will be no
vulnerability, no fragility, no limits at all. Human beings will become like
God (or what believers might think God to be). This perspective rejects human
vulnerability as in intrinsic evil. Those who are frail or weak, who are not
autonomous or not able to care for themselves,
do not possess dignity. In this volume it is claimed that vulnerability is an
inherent part of human condition, and because human dignity belongs to all
individuals, laws are called to recognize and protect the rights of all of
them, particularly of those who might appear to be more vulnerable and fragile.