Premium
Blaming, praising, and protecting our humanity: The implications of everyday dehumanization for judgments of moral status
Author(s) -
Bastian Brock,
Laham Simon M.,
Wilson Sam,
Haslam Nick,
Koval Peter
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
british journal of social psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.855
H-Index - 98
eISSN - 2044-8309
pISSN - 0144-6665
DOI - 10.1348/014466610x521383
Subject(s) - dehumanization , moral agency , social psychology , agency (philosophy) , psychology , moral disengagement , value (mathematics) , humanity , morality , moral responsibility , perception , moral psychology , sociology , law , political science , social science , machine learning , neuroscience , anthropology , computer science
Being human implies a particular moral status: having moral value, agency, and responsibility. However, people are not seen as equally human. Across two studies, we examine the consequences that subtle variations in the perceived humanness of actors or groups have for their perceived moral status. Drawing on Haslam's two‐dimensional model of humanness and focusing on three ways people may be considered to have moral status – moral patiency (value), agency, or responsibility – we demonstrate that subtly denying humanness to others has implications for whether they are blamed, praised, or considered worthy of moral concern and rehabilitation. Moreover, we show that distinct human characteristics are linked to specific judgments of moral status. This work demonstrates that everyday judgments of moral status are influenced by perceptions of humanness.