The Dignity Doctrine: Rational Relations in an Irrational World

In his third book, The Dignity Doctrine: Pursuing Rational Relations in an Irrational World, award-winning author Mark C. Coleman lays out a pragmatic framework for how humanity can attain a more peaceful, just, and sustainable world. His perspective and real-life examples of how to accomplish this are drawn from his family’s triumph over challenging personal experiences and his career as a consultant for practitioners of sustainability in business. Coleman explores the role of business and consumers in addressing our human-induced ecological degradation, the crisis of climate change, and both the threat and salvation from advanced technologies like artificial intelligence.

During this time of great insecurity about the future, he concludes we must transform our attitutdes toward our individual freedoms and privilege to successfully navigate our precarious relationship with each other and the earth’s precious resources. Coleman tackles tough existential questions to arrive at a deeper understanding of our life’s purpose as consumers and caretakers of all living beings on planet Earth and ways we can reconcile deep rifts in our relationships with each other during this perilous time. He believes the possibility of the permanent loss of our planet’s life-sustaining ecologic resources as a result of the errors of our human-built environment calls all of us to engage in an active pursuit to discover who we are and why we are here.

The Dignity Doctrine aims to provide an alternative to the irrational, uncivil political discourse and social conflicts happening throughout the world—a much needed, more tempered call to action to achieve more rational relationships necessary for people to work together toward a more intentional future and higher purpose. Colman beckons readers to reinvent their true relationship with all life forms from a more enlightened perspective of the meaning of human dignity. His logical framework offers a way to create positive change in our life to help us attain more meaningful and dignified relationships with each other and our planet.