AIM Framework glossary
Dignity
Canonical definition
Dignity is the baseline claim each person has not to have their A used as leverage, their I treated as mere instrument, or their M weaponised against them, regardless of their status, wealth, or conformity.
Explanation
In AIM language, to respect someone’s dignity is to take their involuntary motivational inputs seriously: not to starve or threaten them into compliance, not to commandeer their talents purely for others’ projects, and not to humiliate or scapegoat them to stabilise a group. Institutions that require people to trade away A-security, genuine projects, or basic social standing as the price of belonging are, by design, dignity-violating.
Epistemic status
Framework-Specific Construct (normative).