David Livingstone Smith publishes article on dehumanization in ‘Aeon’
David Livingstone Smith, Ph.D., professor of philosophy, published an article titled "The essence of evil" in the October 24, 2014 issue of Aeon, a digital magazine devoted to ideas and culture.
The article discusses the history of human beings dehumanizing other humans as a necessary component to periods of war, slavery and genocide. Smith argues that although humans, as inherently social creatures, share a natural "horror at the prospect of spilling human blood," it is the promise of personal gain that has allowed people to circumvent and neutralize their horror and, thus, engage in dehumanizing behavior.
"The sad fact is that acts of violence often promise to deliver certain benefits. By waging wars, implementing genocides or enslaving vulnerable populations, we can acquire resources that would have been difficult or impossible to get by gentler means," Smith wrote. "We have constructed and disseminated toxic ideologies, ingested mind-altering drugs and engaged in powerful collective rituals, all for the sake of disinhibiting aggression and directing it against our neighbors."
Smith summed up his position in one sentence: "You don’t have to be a monster or a madman to dehumanize others. You just have to be an ordinary human being."