Can I launch a willing dwarf?

What philosophical interest can there be in a mayor’s ban on throwing a consenting dwarf? This is the question Guillaume Durand answers in a lecture, an extract of which can be heard and seen on Youtube. The philosopher questions the relevance of this ban, which was upheld by the French Conseil d’Etat on the grounds that dwarf-throwing violates human dignity:

“Why would dwarf-throwing be an affront to dignity? And of whom exactly? The answer is far from clear.” (p. 22-23)

Based on the Kantian definition of human dignity as an absolute and inviolable value, including by oneself, the author revisits the position of the French Conseil d’Etat, which in 1995 prohibited Manuel Wackenheim, who suffers from dwarfism, from being thrown voluntarily in a dwarf-throwing show. Forbidden to fly after some sixty performances, the dwarf lost his job, despite several appeals, including to the United Nations Human Rights Committee. Taking up one by one the arguments put forward by the various legal bodies to condemn such a show, Guillaume Durand questions the meaning and scope of a value – dignity – whose confused and therefore dangerous nature goes so far as to call into question human freedom:

“Is it an absolute value inviolable by anyone, including oneself, thus limiting not only the freedom of others towards me, but also the free disposition of oneself?” (p. 20).

To continue the debate and form your own opinion on the subject, don’t hesitate to consult the full text of this conference, available in hard copy on the Unithèque website. This is a book not to be thrown away under any circumstances!

Maël Goarzin, Unithèque website