Book Review

Charles Foster's book is an indication of a growing interest amongst English lawyers in the concept of human dignity. To be sure, philosophers have long been debating this concept and, in some countries (Germany being the obvious example), lawyers have developed a considerable jurisprudence of human dignity. But, why should medical lawyers and bioethicists take an interest in this elusive notion? For Foster, the answer is clear: ‘dignity is the key that … unlocks all problems in medical ethics and bioethics’ (p. 1). Quite simply, human dignity ‘is the bioethical Theory of Everything’ (p. 1). No doubt, readers who view human dignity as a source of confusion and obfuscation, not to mention a cover for conservative credos, will regard Foster's claim as risible; even for readers who think that human dignity might have some contribution to make, the claim will seem extravagant. However, before we take the measure of this highly provocative claim, we should set it in the context of a book-length discussion that is both useful and succinct.