What Does Dehumanized Mean?

Dehumanization is the denial of full humanness in others and the cruelty and suffering that accompanies it. A practical definition refers to it as the viewing and treatment of other persons as though they lack the mental capacities that are commonly attributed to human beings.

What is an example of dehumanization?

Dehumanization can occur discursively (e.g., idiomatic language that likens individual human beings to non-human animals, verbal abuse, erasing one's voice from discourse), symbolically (e.g., imagery), or physically (e.g., chattel slavery, physical abuse, refusing eye contact).

What does it mean to live in a dehumanized world?

According to Waytz, dehumanization can be defined as “neglecting another person's mind” or not recognizing that other people have thoughts of their own and are capable of feeling complex emotions. Humanization, on the other hand, means acknowledging that others have complex minds and intrinsic worth as human beings.