Are we all born with equal dignity arising merely from the fact that we are human – as Kant said?

Not according to Stalin.

‘The death of one man is a tragedy.  The death of millions is a statistic’.

Nor according to Tom Stoppard (in the script for The Russia House).

‘If I behave like a hero, can you behave like a merely decent human being?’

Nor according to Pasternak.

‘To belong to a type is the end of a man, his condemnation.  If he doesn’t fall into any category, if he’s not representative, half of what is demanded of him is there.  He’s free of himself.  He’s achieved a grain of immortality.’

Nor according to Edith Durham (who wrote extensively about the Balkans).

‘When a Muslim kills a Muslim, that does not count.  When a Christian kills a Muslim, it is a righteous act.  When a Christian kills a Christian, it is an error of judgment.  It is only when a Muslim kills a Christian that we arrive at a full-blown atrocity.’