Do Human Beings Have Infinite Dignity?

[Michie]

The Vatican’s new document, Dignitas Infinitas, published by the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith (DDF) begins, “Every human person possesses an infinite dignity, inalienably grounded in his or her very being, which prevails in and beyond every circumstance, state, or situation the person may ever encounter.”

I believe this statement to be false, because only God is infinite. He made human beings in his image and unto his likeness. Being the image of the infinite one does not bestow an infinite dignity upon us, but does communicate an intrinsic dignity as “very good.” It derives from the infinite one and is ordered to him as its end, making us to yearn for his infinity as our only true completion.

The claim of “infinite dignity” stands central to the framing of the document due to its very title. The “grounding” of this dignity in our “very being” only aggravates the concern. A rational creature, by nature, stands above other beings. Our nature is ordered to the infinite God, however, only by grace, which elevates our nature enabling it to participate in the life of the infinite God. But, this differs from an intrinsically infinite dignity rooted in our nature itself.

The Catechism on Infinity and Creatures

The Catechism of the Catholic Church also begins with a reference to an ‘infinite’ reality. It speaks, however, of God: “God, infinitely perfect and blessed in himself, in a plan of sheer goodness freely created man to make him share in his own blessed life.” It only uses words related to ‘infinity’ thirty times but in ways that point to God as the only infinite One and human beings as participating in his dignity in a created and finite way.

The Catechism’s second usage of infinity does speak of human dignity in relation to infinite, but only as a direction toward God:

The human person: With his openness to truth and beauty, his sense of moral goodness, his freedom and the voice of his conscience, with his longings for the infinite and for happiness, man questions himself about God’s existence. In all this he discerns signs of his spiritual soul. The soul, the “seed of eternity we bear in ourselves, irreducible to the merely material,”9 can have its origin only in God.
CCC par. 33.

Here are the Catechism’s other usages, listed by paragraph number, which further proves the point that God’s creatures can only reflect and point to his infinite perfection. I’ve highlighted words that direct us to the proper understanding of the relationship of the perfection of creatures to the infinite perfection of God.

Continued below.

Do Human Beings Have Infinite Dignity?

The Vatican’s new document, Dignitas Infinitas, published by the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith (DDF) begins, “Every human person possesses an infinite dignity, inalienably gro…

buildingcatholicculture.com

 

[AlexB23]

The Vatican’s new document, Dignitas Infinitas, published by the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith (DDF) begins, “Every human person possesses an infinite dignity, inalienably grounded in his or her very being, which prevails in and beyond every circumstance, state, or situation the person may ever encounter.”

I believe this statement to be false, because only God is infinite. He made human beings in his image and unto his likeness. Being the image of the infinite one does not bestow an infinite dignity upon us, but does communicate an intrinsic dignity as “very good.” It derives from the infinite one and is ordered to him as its end, making us to yearn for his infinity as our only true completion.

The claim of “infinite dignity” stands central to the framing of the document due to its very title. The “grounding” of this dignity in our “very being” only aggravates the concern. A rational creature, by nature, stands above other beings. Our nature is ordered to the infinite God, however, only by grace, which elevates our nature enabling it to participate in the life of the infinite God. But, this differs from an intrinsically infinite dignity rooted in our nature itself.

The Catechism on Infinity and Creatures

The Catechism of the Catholic Church also begins with a reference to an ‘infinite’ reality. It speaks, however, of God: “God, infinitely perfect and blessed in himself, in a plan of sheer goodness freely created man to make him share in his own blessed life.” It only uses words related to ‘infinity’ thirty times but in ways that point to God as the only infinite One and human beings as participating in his dignity in a created and finite way.

The Catechism’s second usage of infinity does speak of human dignity in relation to infinite, but only as a direction toward God:


Here are the Catechism’s other usages, listed by paragraph number, which further proves the point that God’s creatures can only reflect and point to his infinite perfection. I’ve highlighted words that direct us to the proper understanding of the relationship of the perfection of creatures to the infinite perfection of God.

Continued below.

Do Human Beings Have Infinite Dignity?

The Vatican’s new document, Dignitas Infinitas, published by the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith (DDF) begins, “Every human person possesses an infinite dignity, inalienably gro…

buildingcatholicculture.com

I agree with you, only God has infinite dignity, but we must respect humans as well, though we humans are incapable of showing or having infinite dignity.


Here is the article's summary, for those who do not have 10 minutes:

The article by Jared Staudt, published on April 10, 2024, critiques the Vatican's new document, Dignitas Infinitas, which asserts that every human person possesses an infinite dignity. Staudt argues against this claim, asserting that only God is infinite and that human beings reflect His infinite perfection but do not possess it intrinsically.

The article points out that the Catechism of the Catholic Church also acknowledges God's infinite perfection but speaks of human dignity as participating in it, not possessing it infinitely. Staudt lists various paragraphs from the Catechism that illustrate this relationship between God's infinite perfection and human dignity.

Furthermore, Staudt argues that the title "Dignitas Infinitas" is problematic because it suggests an intrinsic infinite dignity rooted in human nature, whereas human nature is ordered to the infinite God only by grace. Staudt also criticizes the use of the term "infinite dignity" in the document, which he believes obscures the distinction between the Creator and His creatures.

The article concludes by urging us to witness to the inviolable dignity of every human being, rooted in our rational nature and heightened by our creation in God's image. However, this dignity is not something that arises from within us but is a free gift of God's grace. Staudt emphasizes the importance of clarifying this distinction to avoid blurring the line between the Creator and His creatures.

 

[chevyontheriver]

God alone has infinite dignity.

 

[Simon_Templar]

It's a tough question. I am not sure I have an answer...

On the one hand human beings are finite by nature and it is thus easy to think that there is nothing infinite about us.

However, the dignity of the human person is that man is made in the image and likeness of God. Thus essentially, God's dignity is our dignity. He is the source of our dignity.
Likewise, you could say that we have infinite value, because God valued us infinitely in the sacrifice of Christ on the cross.

I don't think the answer is clear on way or the other, and I'm open to being convinced.

However, there seems to be the implication in the document that killing is always a violation of human dignity. I think this is wrong and really an untenable position.

 

[Cosmic Charlie]

Can someone be kind enough to explain to me just how my dignity as a human is bounded ?

Where, when and under what circumstances is my dignity limited ?

Just wondering.

 

[Michie]

What Is Humanity’s Infinite Dignity?

COMMENTARY: We are not infinite as God is infinite, of course, but our dignity is not quantifiable and is indeed radically open-ended, as we are raised by way of participation into God’s inner life.

www.ncregister.com

 

[Simon_Templar]

Can someone be kind enough to explain to me just how my dignity as a human is bounded ?

Where, when and under what circumstances is my dignity limited ?

Just wondering.

As stated in my previous post, I'm unsure of my own views on the topic. I have yet to hear any real argument either way. So far I have just heard the claims made one way or the other, essentially as self-evident.

However, I can imagine a case being made something like this.

First we would have to have at least some basic definition or concept of what we mean by "dignity". I would go with the etymology of the word and say that dignity is the state of being worthy of respect and/or honor. That would tend to mean that dignity is either synonymous with or very closely related to value, or "worth".

Further, I would base my own views off the idea that this worth or value is not based on utility but simply is a quality of being. Thus whatever worth or dignity a thing has, it has by nature and by virtue of what it is, or its mode of being/existence.

Given these starting points I can imagine that all things that exist could be arranged on a order of value, based on their mode of being. Inanimate being would be of the lowest value relative to the higher modes of being, but by virtue of the fact that it exists would have value and dignity.

Plants would be higher in value and dignity that inanimate matter. Plants having a higher mode of being that includes the lowest form of animate life.

Animals would be still higher in that their mode of being includes a higher principle of animate life, with higher powers of soul than plant life.

God, who is infinite, unlimited being, in a certain sense cannot even be said to be a mode of being at all, since mode implies limitation. He transcends all modes of being to simply Be. Thus He has infinite worth, and dignity.

The question is, where would man fit in this order?
Man would be higher than the animals, being as his mode of being is higher, having a rational soul. However, could man be said to be equal with God in worth and dignity? If we accept that man is lower than God in his mode of being, which seems unavoidable, then I think we would have to accept that man's worth and dignity is less than that of God.

If that is the case, then we would, by logical extension, have to say that man's dignity is less than infinite.

I think the passage of scripture "man was created a little lower than the angels" could be instructive here, indicating that man in his purely natural, created state, is not of infinite dignity, because his mode of being is lower than the angels, let alone lower than God.

However, that passage goes on to say that God crowned man with glory, and put everything under his feet so that he would judge even the angels.

I would argue that this implies that in the Order of Grace, man is exalted to equal dignity with God, by adoption through Jesus Christ. As St. Athanasius said, God became a man, so that man could become God.

Further, while I think that we can place modes of being in an order of value, value doesn't necessarily mean quantification. Value can be expressed in quality, as well as quantity, and value in terms of quality might not be entirely expressible through mere quantity. As a result I think we could also say, even if a value is not infinitely valuable, that it is unquantifiable. It can't be reduced to a number.