In this lucid and highly readable "defense of human dignity" and rights, Kateb (Princeton Univ.) explicitly avoids the use of theological insights, preferring the autonomous individual and human reason as his guides. For Kateb, the equal status of persons and the dignity of the person are not synonymous with the dignity of the species. Human "stature" is viewed as individual achievement. Kateb predictably values the individual over the community, often discounting the importance of communitarian achievements to the promotion of human dignity. While exhibiting much perceptiveness, this study approaches human dignity with what some readers will view as overly modest expectations, perhaps not unrelated to the author's refusal to fully assess the contribution of religious thinking on the topic. In defending the "inviolability" of human rights on moral and existential grounds, the Golden Rule is offered as the best guide for private morality, while a humane constitution is presented as the "best public morality." Kateb's critique of many prominent thinkers, including Peter Singer and J. S. Mill, and his provocative application of a theory of human dignity and rights to contemporary politics, are significant accomplishments. Summing Up: Recommended. All readership levels. H. L. Cheek Jr. Gainesville State College