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Addressing the complex legacies of the past in architectural education and built constructions, calls for a reconsidering of the principles of architectural design and conservation. The current challenges of housing, sustainable development and heritage adaptation present huge dilemmas for architects. Yet today architects are only by exception trained to detect heritage values prior to drafting their interventions for adaptive reuse or upgrading. To this day, Western architectural thinking is influenced by the Vitruvian triad Firmitas, Utilitas and Venustas, and the truncated maxim ‘Form Follows Function’ as disseminated by the protagonists of the Modern Movement. These established a divide between the design for new-build and the care of already existing buildings. This divide is marked by the two Charters of Athens: the 1931 Carta del Restauro adopted at the First International Congress of Architects and Technicians of Historic Monuments, and La Chartre d’Athènes presented by Le Corbusier as a result of the 4th CIAM Congress on the Functional City (1933). This paper attempts to bridge the identified divide by adding the idea of ‘Dignitas’ (dignity) as an equal virtue to the Vitruvian triad. Though not new for itself, this concept may aid to raise awareness of architectural dignity in extant buildings., Heritage & Architecture, Heritage & Values

This chapter examines the way Kant transforms the older, hierarchical notion of dignity into the essentially egalitarian notion of dignity we know today. The chapter starts with a discussion of the Roman notion of dignitas, with its focus on highly stratified social status, personal duty, and reputation. It then argues that a crucial development in the understanding of dignity took place in the early modern period, when neo-Roman republican thinkers maintained that dignity requires a person to be ‘sui iuris’, i.e., free from domination. In doing so, they turned dignity into a largely binary notion, juxtaposing the dignity of a freeman with the wretched condition of a slave. The chapter then turns to Kant’s introduction of dignity in the Groundwork. It demonstrates that, when Kant grounds the moral agent’s dignity in his/her status as a lawgiver in a Commonwealth of Ends, Kant is relying on this same binary understanding of dignity. The significance of this anti-slavery theme is further underlined by the pains Kant takes to ensure that God’s status within the Commonwealth of Ends is consistent with the dignity of human beings. Lastly, the chapter draws out an important implication of Kant’s account, namely that taking up the practical perspective necessarily commits a person to recognizing his/her own dignity as well as that of others.

The present article enquires into the origin of a positive valuation of all mankind nature in the emerging Renaissance. We place the opposed-to-tradition Gianozzo Manetti´s thought by focusing on De dignitate et excellentia hominis and showing the radical innovation of his approach, highly influenced by the aristotelianism. For that purpose, we show two traditions that dignify the man condition: the Greek one, which is organized around the microcosm concept and the Latin one, built upon the dignitas term. We suggest that by giving the Greek tradition up, the Latin is driven to a very different horizon. Therefore the wrong classic term of dignitas is transformed into an analogue one., El presente artículo indaga los orígenes de una valoración positiva de toda la condición humana en el incipiente Renacimiento. Centrándonos en De dignitate et excellentia hominis de Gianozzo Mannetti situamos su pensamiento frente a la tradición, mostrando la radical originalidad de su enfoque, fuertemente influenciado por el aristotelismo. Con tal fin, mostramos dos tradiciones que dignifican la condición del hombre: una griega, que se ordena en torno al concepto de microcosmos, y otra latina, edificada sobre el término dignitas. Proponemos que abandonando la tradición griega, se conduce la tradición latina a un horizonte muy distinto, transformando el término clásico de dignitas de un término equívoco a uno análogo.

The present article enquires into the origin of a positive valuation of all mankind nature in the emerging Renaissance. We place the opposed-to-tradition Gianozzo Manetti´s thought by focusing on De dignitate et excellentia hominis and showing the radical innovation of his approach, highly influenced by the aristotelianism. For that purpose, we show two traditions that dignify the man condition: the Greek one, which is organized around the microcosm concept and the Latin one, built upon the dignitas term. We suggest that by giving the Greek tradition up, the Latin is driven to a very different horizon. Therefore the wrong classic term of dignitas is transformed into an analogue one., El presente artículo indaga los orígenes de una valoración positiva de toda la condición humana en el incipiente Renacimiento. Centrándonos en De dignitate et excellentia hominis de Gianozzo Mannetti situamos su pensamiento frente a la tradición, mostrando la radical originalidad de su enfoque, fuertemente influenciado por el aristotelismo. Con tal fin, mostramos dos tradiciones que dignifican la condición del hombre: una griega, que se ordena en torno al concepto de microcosmos, y otra latina, edificada sobre el término dignitas. Proponemos que abandonando la tradición griega, se conduce la tradición latina a un horizonte muy distinto, transformando el término clásico de dignitas de un término equívoco a uno análogo.

The ethical responsibility of the actions of a man who could become invisible reopens in Cicero the debate between the honestum and the utile and with it the need to present a citizen model that links political, ethical and legal elements in order to conserve a series of values necessary for coexistence. This model is presented in De officiis as a translation of Panecio's philosophy in which the term decorum acquires a central dimension. The article analyzes this concept and the position that Ciceronian political thought occupies in the imitation of the exempla virtutis as a way of guaranteeing political stability at a time of serious crisis of republican values., La responsabilidad ética de las acciones de un hombre que pudiera tornarse invisible reabre en Cicerón el debate entre lo honestum y lo utile y con él la necesidad de presentar un modelo de ciudadano que vincule elementos políticos, éticos y jurídicos en orden a la conservación de una serie de valores necesarios para la convivencia. Dicho modelo se presenta en De officiis como una traducción de la filosofía de Panecio en la que el complejo término decorum adquiere una dimensión central. El artículo analiza dicho concepto y la posición que ocupa en el pensamiento político ciceroniano la imitación de los exempla virtutis como forma de garantizar la estabilidad política en un momento de grave crisis de los valores republicanos. &nbsp

This paper examines the third volume of the “Homo sacer” series of Giorgio Agamben, Remnants of Auschwitz. The Witness and the Archive (1998). It shows that his controversial thesis on the paradox of the testimony of Auschwitz and the idea of an “unimaginable” involve a technical concept of image, specific of Agamben’s tought. It asserts that the paradoxical dialectic of visibility and invisibility of bare life’s Muslim described in this book is based on a critical reception of the greek prosopon, the iconography of the Gorgon and roman idea of dignitas. This paper, finally, shows the relevance of this critical reception in the border context of Agamben´s theory of image., Este trabajo analiza el tercer volumen de la serie “Homo sacer” de Giorgio Agamben, Quel che resta di Auschwitz. L’archivio e il testimone (1998), para mostrar que sus controvertidas tesis sobre la paradoja del testimonio de Auschwitz y la idea de que éste es “inimaginable” implican un concepto técnico de la imagen propio de su pensamiento. Para ello, muestra cómo la paradójica dialéctica de visibilidad e invisibilidad de la vida desnuda del musulmán que describe este libro, se basa en una crítica y reelaboración del concepto de imagen contenido en la categoría griega de prósopon, la iconografía de la Gorgona y la idea romana dignitas. El trabajo busca por último resituar estas tesis en el contexto más general del problema de la imagen en otras investigaciones de Agamben.

The article examines some terms such as officium, munus, honor, etc., used in Roman legal and literary sources and which correspond broadly with its terms employed in modern Administrative Law such as public service, public office or employment or competence, El artículo estudia algunos términos –como son officium, munus, honor, etc.– utilizados en las fuentes jurídicas y literarias romanas y que se corresponden en grandes líneas con términos propios del derecho administrativo moderno como son función pública, cargo u oficio público o competencia

The death-and-dying debates, especially where they focus on euthanasia is now a global debated issue and this act (euthanasia) is now practiced in a lot of countries worldwide despite some countries have not legalized it. Some religious groups and individuals are in line with the arguments for euthanasia because it provides a way to relieve extreme pain, provides a way of relief when a person’s quality of life is low and it frees up medical funds to help other people while on the other hand, other religious groups and individual base their arguments against euthanasia because such act and practice devalues human life, and because there is a "slippery slope’ effect that has occurred where euthanasia has been first been legalized for only the terminally ill and later laws are changed to allow it for other people or to be done non-voluntarily. A current debated issue is whether effective palliative care laws are changed to allow it for other people or to b e done non-voluntarily. A current debated issue is whether effective palliative care can have an influence over people’s choices towards euthanasia.

This paper suggests that the contemporary principle of human dignity in so far as it is used as means of limiting the exercise of individual freedom (in such landmark cases as the dwarf-throwing ones, as well as when used against prostitution, certain sexual conducts or the right to refuse medical treatment…) does not have much to do with the human dignity principle that was consecrated after WWII. Rather, it shares many a resemblance with the ancient concept of dignitas, for it has the same function (ground obligations –and not rights), structure (obligations towards oneself) and regime (inalienability). The bondage between contemporary and ancient dignity is a crucial one, for it implies that the ‘foundation of human rights’ paradigm, very common to post-WWII usages of human dignity, can no longer serve as a justification for the human dignity principle.

This paper suggests that the contemporary principle of human dignity in so far as it is used as means of limiting the exercise of individual freedom (in such landmark cases as the dwarf-throwing ones, as well as when used against prostitution, certain sexual conducts or the right to refuse medical treatment…) does not have much to do with the human dignity principle that was consecrated after WWII. Rather, it shares many a resemblance with the ancient concept of dignitas, for it has the same function (ground obligations –and not rights), structure (obligations towards oneself) and regime (inalienability). The bondage between contemporary and ancient dignity is a crucial one, for it implies that the ‘foundation of human rights’ paradigm, very common to post-WWII usages of human dignity, can no longer serve as a justification for the human dignity principle.

This paper suggests that the contemporary principle of human dignity in so far as it is used as means of limiting the exercise of individual freedom (in such landmark cases as the dwarf-throwing ones, as well as when used against prostitution, certain sexual conducts or the right to refuse medical treatment…) does not have much to do with the human dignity principle that was consecrated after WWII. Rather, it shares many a resemblance with the ancient concept of dignitas, for it has the same function (ground obligations –and not rights), structure (obligations towards oneself) and regime (inalienability). The bondage between contemporary and ancient dignity is a crucial one, for it implies that the ‘foundation of human rights’ paradigm, very common to post-WWII usages of human dignity, can no longer serve as a justification for the human dignity principle.

This paper suggests that the contemporary principle of human dignity in so far as it is used as means of limiting the exercise of individual freedom (in such landmark cases as the dwarf-throwing ones, as well as when used against prostitution, certain sexual conducts or the right to refuse medical treatment…) does not have much to do with the human dignity principle that was consecrated after WWII. Rather, it shares many a resemblance with the ancient concept of dignitas, for it has the same function (ground obligations –and not rights), structure (obligations towards oneself) and regime (inalienability). The bondage between contemporary and ancient dignity is a crucial one, for it implies that the ‘foundation of human rights’ paradigm, very common to post-WWII usages of human dignity, can no longer serve as a justification for the human dignity principle.

This paper suggests that the contemporary principle of human dignity in so far as it is used as means of limiting the exercise of individual freedom (in such landmark cases as the dwarf-throwing ones, as well as when used against prostitution, certain sexual conducts or the right to refuse medical treatment…) does not have much to do with the human dignity principle that was consecrated after WWII. Rather, it shares many a resemblance with the ancient concept of dignitas, for it has the same function (ground obligations –and not rights), structure (obligations towards oneself) and regime (inalienability). The bondage between contemporary and ancient dignity is a crucial one, for it implies that the ‘foundation of human rights’ paradigm, very common to post-WWII usages of human dignity, can no longer serve as a justification for the human dignity principle.

This paper originates in the statement of the human dignity principle’s (HDP) growing importance in many legal orders. It first examines whether many legal orders’ interest for the HDP may be linked to its intrinsic (symbolic/axiological) or extrinsic (usefulness in terms of litigation) qualities. Since the conclusions of this examination do not prove totally convincing –or at least not to the degree that one would expect for such a “foundational” principle as the HDP-, the argument looks in another direction: that of scholarly promotion. Indeed, a research conducted on French material provides with firm bases for suggesting that one of the striving forces of the recent legal infatuation with the HDP has to do with the fact that it has been seized by critical trends of legal scholarship as a favorable occasion for promoting the resurgence of theoretically naturalist representations of law.

This paper originates in the statement of the human dignity principle’s (HDP) growing importance in many legal orders. It first examines whether many legal orders’ interest for the HDP may be linked to its intrinsic (symbolic/axiological) or extrinsic (usefulness in terms of litigation) qualities. Since the conclusions of this examination do not prove totally convincing –or at least not to the degree that one would expect for such a “foundational” principle as the HDP-, the argument looks in another direction: that of scholarly promotion. Indeed, a research conducted on French material provides with firm bases for suggesting that one of the striving forces of the recent legal infatuation with the HDP has to do with the fact that it has been seized by critical trends of legal scholarship as a favorable occasion for promoting the resurgence of theoretically naturalist representations of law.

Die Masterarbeit ‚Hedonistic Decubator: den Raum mit Sterben füllen‘ befasst sich mit der Ökonomie eines zeitgemäßen Todes und dem daraus resultierenden Phänomen eines selbst wählbaren Sterbezeitpunkts. Der Fokus wird auf die in diesem Zusammenhang stehende räumliche Artikulation gelegt. Die ‚Blaue Oase‘, ein Haus für Freitodbegleitung im Industriegebiet von Pfäffikon in der Nähe von Zürich, stellt als eine neue Bautypologie den Ausgangspunkt für die vorliegende Arbeit dar. In Anlehnung an den Artikel ‚Dying with Dignitas‘ von Jack Self (Architectural Review, 2016) soll überlegt werden, wie, aber vor allem an welchem Ort und in welchen Räumlichkeiten Sterben in Zukunft in angemessener Form stattfinden könnte. Um das Phänomen des Sterben-Wollens verstehen zu können, wird ein Blick in die Vergangenheit geworfen. Die geschichtliche Analyse der Entwicklungen von der Antike bis zur Gegenwart zeigt, dass es einen Trend hin zu einer steigenden Akzeptanz für selbstbestimmtes Sterben gibt. Darüber hinaus prognostiziert Michio Kaku in seinem Buch „Die Physik der Zukunft: unser Leben in 100 Jahren“ (Kaku, 2012) verschiedene technische und medizinische Fortschritte, die den menschlichen Körper so weit optimieren könnten, dass eine Unsterblichkeit theoretisch möglich wäre. Dies könnte zur Folge haben, dass ein selbstbestimmtes Sterben in absehbarer Zukunft zu einer Notwendigkeit werden würde. Das Sterben – nicht nur Abschluss, sondern auch Teil des Lebens – wird in diesem Zukunftsszenario zu einem Konsumgut. Der Hedonistic Decubator wird als neues Shoppingerlebnis in den Manhattan-Raster entlang der Shoppingmeile zwischen Empire State Building und One Penn Plaza eingefügt und Teil der kommerziellen Landschaft von New York City. Für den Hedonistic Decubator werden fünf verschiedene Sterbearten entwickelt, die sich mit dem Konzept der Unendlichkeit auseinandersetzen, den menschlichen Körper als fragile Struktur thematisieren oder aber auch eine Inszenierung des eigenen Ablebens er, The master’s thesis ‚Hedonistic Decubator: Spaces Filled with Death’ deals with the contemporary economics of dying and new phenomena that arise along the lines of these developments, such as the possibility of deciding the time of one’s own death. The main focus lies on the spatial manifestations of prearranged deaths. For instance, within the industrial park of Pfäffikon, a small town near Zürich, the ‘Blaue Oase’ can be found, where assisted suicide is practiced. This entirely new type of architecture serves as the starting point for this paper. Drawing on Jack Self’s article ‘Dying with Dignitas’ (Architectural Review, 2016), this thesis sets out to answer how – and more importantly where – the premises to accommodate these new forms of dying can be found. In order to understand the wish to determine the circumstances of one’s own death a few historical instances are referenced. This analysis indicates that over the course of time the acceptance of this wish increased steadily. Moreover, Michio Kaku predicts in his book ‘Physics of the Future: How Science Will Shape Human Destiny and Our Daily Lives by the Year 2100’ (2011) that in the near future, owing to several medical and scientific innovations, the human body can be improved in such a way that immortality is, at least theoretically, possible. Thus, to actively determine one’s own death could soon become a general necessity. Extrapolating from this future scenario, dying – as it is not only the end of life, but an integral part of it as well – could evolve into a proper consumer good for which the Hedonistic Decubator offers a new shopping experience: It is situated, alongside other shops, between the Empire State Building and One Penn Plaza in New York City; Thus, death becomes a veritable part of the commercial landscape in Manhattan. In total, five different kinds of dying were designed for the Hedonistic Decubator, which either engage with the idea of infinity, address the precarious and fragile nature, von Michael Kröll, Masterarbeit Universität Innsbruck 2018

Die Masterarbeit ‚Hedonistic Decubator: den Raum mit Sterben füllen‘ befasst sich mit der Ökonomie eines zeitgemäßen Todes und dem daraus resultierenden Phänomen eines selbst wählbaren Sterbezeitpunkts. Der Fokus wird auf die in diesem Zusammenhang stehende räumliche Artikulation gelegt. Die ‚Blaue Oase‘, ein Haus für Freitodbegleitung im Industriegebiet von Pfäffikon in der Nähe von Zürich, stellt als eine neue Bautypologie den Ausgangspunkt für die vorliegende Arbeit dar. In Anlehnung an den Artikel ‚Dying with Dignitas‘ von Jack Self (Architectural Review, 2016) soll überlegt werden, wie, aber vor allem an welchem Ort und in welchen Räumlichkeiten Sterben in Zukunft in angemessener Form stattfinden könnte. Um das Phänomen des Sterben-Wollens verstehen zu können, wird ein Blick in die Vergangenheit geworfen. Die geschichtliche Analyse der Entwicklungen von der Antike bis zur Gegenwart zeigt, dass es einen Trend hin zu einer steigenden Akzeptanz für selbstbestimmtes Sterben gibt. Darüber hinaus prognostiziert Michio Kaku in seinem Buch „Die Physik der Zukunft: unser Leben in 100 Jahren“ (Kaku, 2012) verschiedene technische und medizinische Fortschritte, die den menschlichen Körper so weit optimieren könnten, dass eine Unsterblichkeit theoretisch möglich wäre. Dies könnte zur Folge haben, dass ein selbstbestimmtes Sterben in absehbarer Zukunft zu einer Notwendigkeit werden würde. Das Sterben – nicht nur Abschluss, sondern auch Teil des Lebens – wird in diesem Zukunftsszenario zu einem Konsumgut. Der Hedonistic Decubator wird als neues Shoppingerlebnis in den Manhattan-Raster entlang der Shoppingmeile zwischen Empire State Building und One Penn Plaza eingefügt und Teil der kommerziellen Landschaft von New York City. Für den Hedonistic Decubator werden fünf verschiedene Sterbearten entwickelt, die sich mit dem Konzept der Unendlichkeit auseinandersetzen, den menschlichen Körper als fragile Struktur thematisieren oder aber auch eine Inszenierung des eigenen Ablebens er, The master’s thesis ‚Hedonistic Decubator: Spaces Filled with Death’ deals with the contemporary economics of dying and new phenomena that arise along the lines of these developments, such as the possibility of deciding the time of one’s own death. The main focus lies on the spatial manifestations of prearranged deaths. For instance, within the industrial park of Pfäffikon, a small town near Zürich, the ‘Blaue Oase’ can be found, where assisted suicide is practiced. This entirely new type of architecture serves as the starting point for this paper. Drawing on Jack Self’s article ‘Dying with Dignitas’ (Architectural Review, 2016), this thesis sets out to answer how – and more importantly where – the premises to accommodate these new forms of dying can be found. In order to understand the wish to determine the circumstances of one’s own death a few historical instances are referenced. This analysis indicates that over the course of time the acceptance of this wish increased steadily. Moreover, Michio Kaku predicts in his book ‘Physics of the Future: How Science Will Shape Human Destiny and Our Daily Lives by the Year 2100’ (2011) that in the near future, owing to several medical and scientific innovations, the human body can be improved in such a way that immortality is, at least theoretically, possible. Thus, to actively determine one’s own death could soon become a general necessity. Extrapolating from this future scenario, dying – as it is not only the end of life, but an integral part of it as well – could evolve into a proper consumer good for which the Hedonistic Decubator offers a new shopping experience: It is situated, alongside other shops, between the Empire State Building and One Penn Plaza in New York City; Thus, death becomes a veritable part of the commercial landscape in Manhattan. In total, five different kinds of dying were designed for the Hedonistic Decubator, which either engage with the idea of infinity, address the precarious and fragile nature, von Michael Kröll, Masterarbeit Universität Innsbruck 2018