Seven challenges for the dehumanisation hypothesis

Propaganda often compares members of stigmatised outgroups to non-human entities such as rats, lice and snakes. Drawing on these horrifying descriptions, the dehumanisation hypothesis proposes that outgroup members are viewed as ‘less than human’, and that being viewed as less than human renders them vulnerable to harm. I offer seven challenges to the dehumanisation hypothesis. I argue that, even in supposedly prototypical examples of extreme dehumanisation, outgroup members are not treated in a similar way to non-human entities. Furthermore, although outgroup members may be denied some human qualities and states, they are attributed others. I also argue that there is reason to doubt the hypothesised causal connection between being viewed as less than human and being at risk of harm – some non-human organisms are treated with great care, and some groups are harmed because of how their uniquely human qualities are perceived. I close by offering an alternative account of why outgroup members are sometimes referred to as nonhuman entities.