David Livingstone Smith鈥檚 view on dehumanization cited in article in Chilean newspaper
The work of David Livingstone Smith, Ph.D., professor of philosophy, was cited in a May 11 article published in the Chilean newspaper El Mostrador.
Titled 鈥淒esacralizar la vida humana,鈥 or 鈥淭he desacralization of human life,鈥 the article discusses how the concept of humans as superior to other animals has led to the extermination of hundreds of species, either through purposeful acts to rid the earth of them or through unintentional, albeit careless, actions that have led to extinction.
The author notes Smith鈥檚 argument that the classification of something as human imparts to it a sense of morality and that the denial of a creature鈥檚 humanity minimizes its moral status. She points to Smith鈥檚 contention that dehumanization is often a prerequisite to war, genocide, slavery and other atrocities.
Smith is the author of Less Than Human: Why We Demean, Enslave, and Exterminate Others.