Abstract:

A large part of the contemporary literature on dehumanization is committed to three ideas: (a) dehumanization involves some degree of denial of humanness, (b) such denial is to be comprehended in mental terms, and (c) the mechanisms that underlie the denial belong in the realm of post-perceptual processing. This talk first examines (c) and argues that at least in some cases, dehumanization might be a perceptual phenomenon. In the final part of the talk, it is argued that in such cases, important questions arise with respect to the moral responsibility of dehumanizers.

About the speaker:

Somogy Varga, Professor, School of Culture and Society - Philisophy

Somogy Varga is Professor of Philosophy at Aarhus University, Denmark. He previously worked at the University of Memphis (2012–2019), the Institute of Cognitive Science at the University of Osnabrück (2009–2012), and the Institute of Social Research at Goethe University Frankfurt (2007–2009).   

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