The One of Us Observatory for Human Dignity in Europe is an independent research and study organisation. Its objective is to make the most accurate possible diagnosis of the threats to human dignity in Europe. It was founded on 19 October 2019 in Santiago de Compostela by the One of Us cultural platform.

Context

European civilisation was built on unconditional respect for the innocent human person. Since this respect has become relative, following democratic votes that have overturned the wisdom of Old (in particular that of Hippocrates), civilization has been deconstructing itself before our very eyes. This deconstruction constitutes a threat to humanity, both in its ontology and in its existence, especially among the weakest, as well as to the peace of nations. In the absence of unity with regard to the essence of its identity, the European project is disintegrating. If Europe dissolves, it will be due to its lack of fidelity to itself.

Objectives

The Observatory collects, analyses and disseminates data regarding the current state of respect for human dignity in Europe. It strives to offer the widest possible public access to this information by offering keys to understanding current developments and future prospects for the common good of Europe and its constituent nations. It is especially focused on showing how “everything is connected”. If the crisis is political, it is primarily because Europe is suffering from a moral crisis which has an anthropological cause. The Observatory has set itself three objectives:

Collect data concerning respect for the human person in Europe, in particular through the events that accelerate the moral crisis, but also through positive initiatives for the protection of the dignity of the person in each EU country and in the Community institutions. With this in mind, the Observatory identifies researchers who are attentive to the reality and evolution of respect for the dignity of the human person in Europe, and publishes their studies and work on this issue.

Analyse the major cultural and political trends likely to influence whether or not the dignity of the human person is respected. In addition to identifying the work of researchers who wish to be associated with it, the Observatory would like to be able to commission studies and evaluation work from interested researchers.

Circulate information and analyses to develop knowledge of the factors affecting respect for human dignity, in the form of regular publications (analytical notes, studies, surveys and statistics, reports, etc.) to its relays in Europe and to the general public.

Production and communication

The Observatory’s work will be circulated as widely as possible to its own network of intellectuals but also to the general public, and in particular through its website www.OneofUs.study and Newsletter.

Two times a year, the Observatory will publish a summary report on the dignity of the human person in Europe, based on information provided by experts from the various member countries. The report will be focused on four main areas:

A diagnosis of the political, social and cultural disorder likely to generate violence in various forms;

An Identification of attacks on human dignity, in particular through national and European legislation and judicial decisions;

The Pinpointing of constructive proposals and positive initiatives capable of restoring the dignity of the human person and improving the conditions for the achievement of the common good;

Recommendations for areas of investigation and study that could fuel this work. At the proposal of the Observatory, research seminars may be organized by national groups on themes identified as priorities.

Eventually, the Observatory may produce an annual report on the state of human dignity in Europe (findings and prospects).

Fields of study

The Observatory specifically monitors the phenomena and events that constitute or provoke the dehumanization of mankind, in its political, legal and socio-cultural scope:  the decline in the birth rate and in confidence regarding the collective future, the crisis of the family and marriage, the renunciation of Europe’s cultural identity and its defining elements, the rise of relativism, multiculturalism, attacks on freedom of conscience and expression, the non-acceptance of life’s meaning, the rejection of the objectivity of moral principles and rules, the social acceptance of abortion, of euthanasia and other attacks on the dignity of human life, gender ideology and certain forms of radical feminism, injustices such as misery, degradation of our living environment, wars or exploitation of children, the suppression of the meaning of suffering as the supreme evil, the covering-up of death, the disregard of the individual as a unique and responsible being, the expansion of atheism…

In a context of social and cultural reconstruction, the negation of the human condition in its most sacred aspect is undoubtedly the main cause of the European civilizational crisis. It will only be possible to overcome it by reconnecting with the meaning of these great threatened realities: the relationship to truth, the anthropological foundations of law, the place of religion, the role of science and the guarantee of fundamental liberties. The Observatory considers that no angle of analysis is to be precluded as a priori. For the sake of efficiency, priorities are set in the identification and commissioning of studies from its correspondents.

The Team

The work of the One of Us Observatory is coordinated by an editorial board led in Paris by philosopher Thibaud Collin and political scientist Guillaume Bernard. The board is made up of a team of associate researchers representing the core member countries of the platform. Their main objective is to identify the research themes that are useful for the efficiency of the Observatory and to define the analysis and evaluation work launched with the associate researchers, in accordance with traditional academic liberties.