Puyol Montero, José María, ed. Human Dignity and Law: Studies on the Dignity of Human Life. Valencia: Tirant Lo Blanch, 2021 (304 pp., ISBN 978-84-1378-816-6)

Abstract

The protection of human rights, although it has been a cornerstone of the agenda of international cooperation among states for more than 70 years, continues to be one of the greatest challenges facing humanity. However, raising the level of compliance with human rights requires constant reflection on the source of the threats. The spectacular developments we have witnessed in recent decennaries in the areas of economy, science, trade or communication, as well as the progress of the globalisation process, naturally give rise to new challenges to the protection of human dignity, which is at the heart of the entire system for the protection of individual rights. These have become particularly evident during the global SARS-CoV-2 epidemic or Russia’s aggression against Ukraine. The latter, in addition to the traditional traumas of war and war crimes, also had “new” consequences. The war between the two states in Europe, due to escalating interdependencies in supply chains over the years, created the spectre of humanitarian catastrophe and famine on several continents. A reflection responding to this challenges is offered by the authors of the described publication, which is a collection of rather loosely linked chapters by twelve respected academics1, edited by José María Puyol Montero. Their goal was to “contribute their