Professor John Loughlin has recently published his latest book, Human Dignity: Its Roots and Challenges in Western Thought (Bloomsbury), which reassess the concept of human dignity through the lens of Catholic tradition.

Drawing on the biblical notion that humans are made in the image and likeness of God (Imago Dei), the book traces the development of this idea from antiquity to modern times. Loughlin examines key moments of continuity and change – from the Church Fathers to the Renaissance, the Reformation to Enlightenment secularism, and 20th-century renewal to today’s contested bioethical landscape. Integrating theology, philosophy, and political thought, the book engages contemporary moral debates while presenting a constructive Catholic Catholic anthropology.

Professor Loughlin is Emeritus Fellow of St Edmund’s College and former Director of the Von Hügel Institute. He is a Senior Research Fellow at Blackfriars Hall, Oxford and Emeritus Professor of European Politics at Cardiff University.