David Smith鈥檚 entry on psychological aspects of dehumanization published in 'Eugenics Archives Encyclopedia'
David Livingstone Smith, Ph.D., professor of philosophy, authored an entry on the psychological aspects of dehumanization that has been published in the Encyclopedia section of the Eugenics Archives.
Smith鈥檚 entry includes a history of dehumanization, a discussion of dehumanization and psychology, and the exploration of the roles of violence, moral disengagement and psychological essentialism in dehumanization.
In his conclusion, Smith writes, "When we dehumanize others, we conceive of them as subhuman animals or inanimate objects. This way of thinking enables us to treat the dehumanized population in ways that it would be morally impermissible to treat other human beings鈥攆or example, killing them, sterilizing them, or otherwise violating their basic human rights."