Trying to Evaluate Human Dignity in a Social Group

Abstract

This study attempts to make progress in the way an instrument can be created, by consensus, to monitor the development of human beings quality of life in all aspects. Based on various recent studies into human values, quality of life and subjective well-being, and on the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, this study takes human dignity as the supreme value, and development, freedom and equality (with solidarity, justice and peace as the subsidiary values) as the subsidiary values. All these values were disaggregated hierarchically by considering the literature on this matter to obtain measurable variables. They were converted into indices and geometric averages were used to aggregate the considered variables into each level. Obviously, this is an initial attempt, and the definitive instrument will need more in-depth studies and ampler consensuses.