Human Dignity By Francis Fukuyama Summary

Why do individuals feel obligated to protect other humans?

Human beings by nature are complex social creatures. We value social connection and acceptance through the same community of interest, while simultaneously seeking our own self-centered desires. Humans although capable of empathy, left completely to their own devices, tend to be prone to a more self-centered nature above all else. In fact, our most basic human instincts consist of our will to survive, even sacrificing another life over ours if necessary. Empathy does not guarantee our survival. It is merely a tool we use for social connection. While some humans have a surplus of empathy, others may not possess any at all. Because of both desire to survive, and the desire to connect,

Human Dignity is not easy to define because it is essentially the complexity of human beings in itself, and varies depending on the individual; however, Fukuyama describes almost seamlessly the outsider’s effect of the social expectation contract in his analogy writing that, “We would regard Mr. Spock who was truly devoid of any feelings as a psychopath and a monster… If we double crossed him we would feel no guilt because we know that he cannot entertain feelings of anger or being betrayed” (158). Fukuyama is describing the outsider effect of “Mr. Spock” that is upheld by the social expectation contract. Since “Spock” threatens social expectation by lacking empathy, therefore does not have social value or the same benefits of those within the social contract. Charles Duhigg explains this concept similarly in his article “From Civil Rights to Mega Churches” as he asserts that, “Peer pressure and the social habit that encourage people to conform to group expectations” (92). This explains a key aspect as to why humans may feel obligated to protect a fellow human especially that society perceives as vulnerable and unable to consent to the social expectation contract. People comply with the contract, even if they did not feel empathy for the person, because they would be otherwise risk being perceived as a “Mr. Spock” amongst their peers, losing their social