Humanness & Morality Flashcards
What does it mean to be human?
What are the 3 approaches?
Biological anthropology: Scientific understanding of humanness which appeals to genetic, morphological, and species distinctions.
Theological anthropology: “To be made in God’s image”, to possess a soul, etc.
Philosophical anthropology: Being human means possessing certain characteristics/capacities (e.g., having rationality, language, consciousness)
➢ Humans have morals (immoral/amoral people often described as “monsters”, “animals”)
What is dehumanization?
The denial of one’s full humanity
➢ Perceiving another being as having fewer
human traits such as complex emotions, minds,
souls, and free will (philosophical anthropology)
➢ By stripping people of their humanity, we can
move them outside of our domain of moral
concern
Humane: originally a variant of human but came to
mean “marked by tenderness, compassion, and a
disposition to kindly treat others”
• “To treat someone/something humanely”
What is infrahumanization?
The belief that one’s group is more human, through possessing
more of the “human essence”, than other groups
Infrahumanization theory revolutionized humanness research:
• Denial of uniquely human qualities
• Implicit/subtle dehumanization
• Conflict is not necessary
What is Haslams dual model of humanness?
Two types of dehumanization:
• Animalistic dehumanization
• Mechanistic dehumanization
Both types of dehumanization may lead to exclusion
from the moral circle
• AD may elicit active aggression/defense against
• MD may lead to lack of concern for one’s suffering
Dehumanization can help “______” negative implications and feelings from “______” events
Reduce; past
Collective responsibility of ingroup’s mass killings can lead to the
infrahumanization of the victims
True or false. Violent criminals and child molesters are dehumanized more than white collar criminals
True
Perceived harm of offense and suggested punishment was mediated by dehumanization and moral outrage
The use of “__________” language increases punishment severity
Animalistic
What predicts rape proclivity?
- Animalistic dehumanization
- Objectification
What happened in the phylogenetic roots of lethal violence?
Hunter gatherer tribes had (and continue to
have) about a 2% murder rate (approximately
the same as many non-human primates)
~30 people you know, or 3 family members/friends
However, as humans organized into warring
bands and tribes, homicide rates increased to as
high as 30%
What is Paul Blooms perspective on dehumanization/
“If everything is dehumanization, then nothing is.”
We seem to extend this notion (dehumanization) when we think badly about another group or individual
This stretches the notion beyond comprehension
We dehumanize based on what we DO NOT hear
“Is a lot of the harm and violence we cause others actually due
to the fact that we appreciate (understand) each others humanity?”
Ex) think of revenge porn
What are the 2 types of violence?
(Ari, Valdesolo & Graham, 2017)
Argue that…“much violence is actually motivated by moral
sentiments, and that morally motivated perpetrators wish to harm fellow human beings”
Instrumental violence
- utilitarianism “practical violence”
- minimize unhappiness/harm and maximize happiness
- violence is morally objectionable and desired for instrumental reasons
- dehumanization makes this possible by weakening moral inhibitions & make the perpetrators LESS empathetic towards victims suffering
Moral violence
- ascribing humanity to them
- victims who “deserve it” and for them to receive the full extent of punishment…
- may use this to justify violence against them (they violated the morals held to be a “human” = deserve punishment)
Need to be:
1. Be able to think and have intentions
2. Be able to feel pain and other sensations
3. Be able to have moral emotions
= basically must be HUMAN
