Abstract

Dehumanization is widely thought to occur when someone is treated or regarded as less than human. However, there is an ongoing debate about how to develop this basic characterization. Proponents of the harms-based approach focus on the idea that to dehumanize someone is to treat them in a way that harms their humanity; whereas proponents of the psychological approach focus on the idea that to dehumanize someone is to think of them as less than human. Other theorists adopt a pluralistic view that combines elements of both approaches. In addition to explaining different views on what it means to dehumanize someone, this article focuses on related issues, such as how to resolve the so-called “paradox of dehumanization”; the causes and consequences of dehumanization; the sorts of contexts in which dehumanization typically occurs; and the relation between dehumanization and objectification.