Autonomy and dignity: on the ethical obligation to respect human rights based on Kant's moral philosophy

Abstract

Human rights are rights of the human person. Disregard for these rights, as a rule, ruins humanity itself. As they are rights of the human person, they must be inviolable, because the person is an end in itself and has an intrinsic dignity. The problem that arises is why should human rights be respected and enforced for every human person, according to Kantian philosophical ethics? The objective, through bibliographical research of Kant's texts, is to offer elements on the ethical obligation to respect and ensure human rights for every human person, based on Kant's moral philosophy. To this end, we first seek to legitimize autonomy for human beings. Second, we discuss the idea that humanity should be treated as an end in itself, offering ethical reasons for respecting human rights and, finally, we intend to show why human beings are constituted as an end in itself and has a quality as high as dignity and which, for this reason, is worthy of all respect. The hypothesis is that the respect due to human beings and their rights, according to Kant's philosophical ethics, is rooted in the property that makes it an end in itself, that is, autonomy.