What Does a Person Count For?

An incorruptible philosophical reflection on one of the greatest conflicts of our time


English sample translation available

How does one preserve one's humanity in the face of a protracted conflict?

Are we capable of infinite compassion, or is empathy a finite resource? At what point does the moral duty to speak out become a choice rather than a mandate? Can we truly sustain the idea of a "universal humanity" when the world is so deeply divided?
Long before the 7th of October, Carolin Emcke was already haunted by the limits of our empathy. Today, those questions have become an emergency. For twenty years, Emcke has traveled between Be’eri and Jenin, Tel Aviv and Ramallah, searching for the "universal we." Amidst a fractured discourse, she returns to the only question that truly matters: What is a human life actually worth?

"Human rights exist only as a whole; they are indivisible, apply to everyone, and that means equally for all." – Carolin Emcke

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  • Publisher: S. FISCHER
  • Release: 23.09.2026
  • ISBN: 978-3-10-397698-4
  • 432 Pages
  • Author: Carolin Emcke
Buchcover von What Does a Person Count For?
Carolin EmckeWhat Does a Person Count For?
Portrait von Carolin Emcke
© Andreas Labes
Carolin Emcke

Carolin Emcke studied philosophy in London, Frankfurt am Main and Harvard. She has travelled to crisis regions around the world and addresses issues of violence, democracy and human rights in her essays. Her books have been translated into over 15 languages. She has received numerous awards, including the Peace Prize of the German Book Trade, the Carl von Ossietzky Prize and the Soul of Stonewall Prize. S. Fischer has published 'Echoes of Violence: Letters from a War Reporter', 'Silent Violence: Reflecting on the Red Army Faction', 'How We Desire', 'Because you may say it: On witnessing and justice', 'Against Hate', 'Yes means yes and ...' and 'Journal - Diary of a Crisis'. Carolin Emcke lives in Berlin.