Human dignity only penetrated public consciousness as a fundamental value only since 1945. Since then, however, it is by many often been regarded as the most fundamental value of all. Human dignity is a characteristic of every human person as an autonomous being with free will. It cannot be taken away from anyone—in contrast to “contingent dignity”, which is based on social status and behavior. The fact that this value was so abruptly recognized as fundamental is clearly related to the experiences of the World Wars and the Holocaust, in which it had been violated as massively as never before. Human dignity plays a central role in personal and social life; this is particularly evident in the negative, in the destructive consequences of insults and humiliations. States too can have dignity; they can express this in inclusive behavior internally and peaceful relations with other states. To illustrate the importance of this concept, three current problems are discussed which directly affect human dignity: the death penalty and life imprisonment, preimplantation diagnosis and surrogacy, and euthanasia. In all these controversial issues, reference to the concept of human dignity, but also to all other basic societal values, can contribute to clarification.