Dehumanization

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Dehumanization is the process, practice, or act of denying full humanity in others,^[1] along with the cruelty and suffering that accompany it.^[2][3][4] It involves perceiving individuals or groups as lacking essential human qualities, such as secondary emotions and mental capacities, thereby placing them outside the bounds of moral concern.^[1] In this definition, any act or thought that regards a person as either ''other than'' and "less than" human constitutes dehumanization.^[5][6]

Dehumanization can be overt or subtle,^[7] and typically manifests in two primary forms: animalistic dehumanization, which denies uniquely human traits like civility, culture, or rationality and likens others to animals;^[3] and mechanistic dehumanization, which denies traits of human nature such as warmth, emotion, and individuality, portraying others as objects or machines.^[3]

It has historically facilitated a broad range of harms, from discrimination and social exclusion to slavery,^[1] colonization,^[8] as well as other crimes against humanity,^[1] and is recognized as a significant from of incitement to genocide.^[9]