David Livingstone Smith quoted in 'Timeline News' on psychology of war criminals
David Livingstone Smith
David Livingstone Smith, Ph.D., professor of philosophy and author of Less Than Human: Why We Demean, Enslave, and Exterminate Others, was quoted in a March 28 article published by Timeline News on the psychology of war criminals.
The article discusses the ways in which those convicted of genocide have justified their actions, typically showing no remorse for the atrocities that they have committed and rationalizing that they acted out of love for and duty to their people.
“Genocide tends to be a highly moralistic activity,” Smith was quoted as saying. “People believe they are saving the world from evil and that they have a supreme duty to do that, which overrides everything else.”