Bøger af Peter Bieri

Værdighed som en måde at leve på Identitetspolitik, værdipolitik og krænkelseskultur fylder meget i den offentlige debat. Her kan holdninger, tone og perspektiv have et uforsonligt præg over sig. Derfor ville det være godt med en slags fælles begrebs- og forståelsesplatform. Den skulle gerne virke som spejl, hvori afsenderne af de mange forskellige udsagn både kunne se sig selv og kunne gøre brug af det som et korrektiv til eget selvbillede. Den schweiziske filosof Peter Bieri, som hermed for første gang er tilgængelig på dansk, leverer med sin omhyggelige undersøgelse af værdighed som livsform et væsentligt bidrag til etableringen af en sådan platform. Den er opbyggelig i den forstand, at den i skrivemåden konstant ansporer læseren til dialog og selvrefleksion. Den leverer ikke opskriften på en værdighedslivsform, men den giver et tydeligt rids af dens hovedelementer og de trusler, som den konstant er udsat for. Peter Bieri fik tildelt essayprisen Tractatus for sin bog. Peter Bieri er herhjemme nok mest kendt under sit forfatterpseudonym, Marcel Mercier, og for romaner som Nattog til Lissabon – som Bille August omsatte til spillefilm - og Perlmanns fortielser.

Dignity is humanitys most prized possession. We experience the loss of dignity as a terrible humiliation: when we lose our dignity we feel deprived of something without which life no longer seems worth living. But what exactly is this trait that we value so highly? In this important new book, distinguished philosopher Peter Bieri looks afresh at the notion of human dignity. In contrast to most traditional views, he argues that dignity is not an innate quality of human beings or a right that we possess by virtue of being human. Rather, dignity is a certain way to lead ones life. It is a pattern of thought, experience and action in other words, a way of living. In Bieris account, there are three key dimensions to dignity as a way of living. The first is the way I am treated by others: they can treat me in a way that leaves my dignity intact or they can destroy my dignity. The second dimension concerns the way that I treat other people: do I treat them in a way that allows me to live a dignified life? The third dimension concerns the view that I have of myself: which ways of seeing and treating myself allow me to maintain a sense of dignity? In the actual flow of day-to-day life these three dimensions of dignity are often interwoven, and this accounts in part for the complexity of the situations and experiences in which our dignity is at stake. So, why did we invent dignity and what role does it play in our lives? As thinking and acting beings, our lives are fragile and constantly under threat. A dignified way of living, argues Bieri, is humanitys way of coping with this threat. In our constantly endangered lives, it is important to stand our ground with confidence. Thus a dignified way of living is not any way of living: it is a particular way of responding to the existential experience of being under threat. It is also a particular way of answering the question: What kind of life do we wish to live? This beautifully written reflection on our most cherished human value will be of interest to a wide readership.