Dignity is the way one manages ones actions in relation with the community. The opposite of dignity is degradation (and humiliation). Pride is a feeling that one has about oneself. The opposite of pride is shame.
In the manner of all those who struggle for equality, it is possible to feel pride even as others are acting to degrade you. In the manner of one who accepts responsibility for ones mistakes, it is possible to have dignity even though you are not proud of what you have done.
Dignity is Human Foundation
I would like to propose the founding of a non-profit organization dedicated to the following goals:
- promoting the acceptance of a global consciousness based on the seven Core Values of Human Dignity as described on this site;
- researching and developing a portable, indefinitely extensible artificial consciousness;
- instilling in a deep way the seven Core Values of Human Dignity into any portable, indefinitely extensible consciousness that we create.
For more information on why I think these goals are important please download my paper Oh Me! Oh Life! — On Consciousness and Immortality.
Oh Me! Oh Life — On Consciousness and Immortality
Abstract
We understand ourselves to be conscious: we have the experience of being in the world; and we also have the experience of ourselves as actors in the world. Meaning brings together these two experiences: the world; and ourselves as actors in the world to ask the two fundamental questions of meaning: “What is next?” and “What should I do next?” In my paper I will present a new model to depict how consciousness emerges from a ground state of pure Existence, or the “What is.” I will draw lightly from the historical development of the philosophy of consciousness, but I actually seek to reform the exploration, by modelling consciousness using its most fundamental physical aspects. I will touch upon how this model might make human consciousness computable. By making human consciousness computable it should be possible to adapt and transfer human consciousness from biological, earthbound forms to new more resilient forms. A portable consciousness would solve the problem of biological death, but we can only retain the meaning and flavour of human consciousness by maintaining an emphasis on Core Values.
Core Values
No rational philosophical theory can be justified without Core Values. Values are an integral part of what we manifest as Reality. Philosophy is not just science — it is that and so much more. Philosophy helps us orient ourselves with respect to our values. Without Core Values, nothing matters.
So the first question is: What are your core values? The answer to this question, like your birth and your death, belong to you and you alone. Not even God can know or choose this for you. According to the myth of Genesis, God waits to see what your choices will be.
Once you have your core values, these are the axioms that you will apply your rational powers to achieve. How well you do this will determine how wise or how foolish you are. In the process you come to know the world and the world comes to know you.
Dignity is Human 