Abstract

LOPEZ LOPEZ, Édgar Antonio. HUMAN DIGNITY, CULTURAL DIVERSITY, AND QUALITY OF LIFE. rev.latinoam.bioet. [online]. 2009, vol.9, n.1, pp. 28-39. ISSN 1657-4702.

In this paper quality of life is presented as a concrete expression of human dignity useful to overcome the bioethical debate relativism about cultural diversity and the limits of a universal conception of human rights. After describing the secularization process of Christian categories human dignity and natural right, Lee Kwan Yew's culturalistic criticism and Charles Taylor's communitarian criticism to universal conception of human rights are examined. From Thomas Pogge's and Amartya Sen's reactions to these criticisms, it is established the relationship between freedom, quality of life and human capabilities in Sen's theory.

Keywords : Human rights; quality of life; human dignity; real freedom; cultural diversity.