Human Dignity in Islamic Bioethics

Abstract

The normative implications of the conception of human dignity affects on both secular and religious moral thoughts as they pertain to a range of human life issues, including health care ethics. In this article I discuss the main Islamic viewpoints regarding human dignity and their implications in Islamic bioethics. This article offers my comprehension of the literature on human dignity and its implications in Islamic bioethics. Human dignity is one of the most emphasized themes in the Holy Qur?an. There are two main theological schools in Islamic tradition which are called: Ash?ariyyah and Mu?tazilah. According to Ash?ariyyah thoughts, human dignity is based on the explicit arguments in the scripture but in the Mu?tazilah?s thoughts, concepts such as human dignity could have independent logical basis. Accordingly, they could be found by reason and emphasized by the scripture. Using human dignity as a reliable basis which is emphasized by the scripture, it cans shed light to many of contentious bioethical issues in the Islamic world.