“人的尊严”之疏释与展开——历史渊源、比较分析与法律适用

A Study on the Nomological Interpretation of Human Dignity and Its Application in Legal Practice

人的尊严是当代国际社会和各国宪法文本中的重要命题,但基于规范形式的抽象化、思想资源的多元化和实证程度的差异化等因素,不同国家对其的认识并不一致,规范定位与实务运作也不尽相同。作为一个从道德哲学转化而来的宪法规范,自古希腊至康德以来的精神成长史是理解人的尊严之内涵与范畴的关键。通过对历史渊源的梳理,可以发现人的尊严经历了从秩序性向普遍性转化的古今之变;经由对德国和美国在宪法规范、宪法解释或司法适用等方面的比较分析,可以发现人的尊严之宪法地位与各国文化背景、社会价值和历史经验等息息相关。从我国宪法的立宪主义脉络和基本精神出发,应形成人的尊严保障的共识,建构出具有强大规范力与明确内涵的人的尊严条款,将其定位为具有普通性与相对性的宪法价值、相对性与优先性的宪法原则、相对性与备位性的宪法权利。在合宪性秩序下,妥善而审慎地处理其在不同规范面向之间的适用关系,以便实现对人的尊严的最大限度保护。

As an important concept in international legal system and nations’constitution,human dignity faces the challenge of its own conceptual abstraction,pluralism and differentiation.The human dignity clauses are significant difference in each country’s constitution and operation.The historical process from ancient Greece to Kant was the key to understanding the concept of dignity as a constitutional norm transformed from moral philosophy.Therefore,this paper would like to explore the transformation of human dignity from ancient to modern times;then it will use the methodology of comparison to analyze the practice of human dignity in different countries and constitutional interpretation in those domestic Constitutional Court,especially in Germany and the USA.In order to achieve the goal of protecting human dignity,we should make the human dignity clause in our Constitution have strong restraint force and clear connotation.Through the discussion above,this article further explains that human dignity as a constitutional value,as the basic principles for the constitution,and as a constitutional right respectively in the spirit of constitutionalism in order to manifest its status in our Constitution.Eventually,we need to take the application of law of human dignity properly and carefully in our constitutional order so as to safeguard it.