Dehumanizing Ideologies are at the Root of Evil
I’ve been thinking a lot about human evil lately, watching some of the strands of contemporary ideology in America, and one of the themes that keeps re-appearing is the dehumanization of other human beings. Once you believe that another human being isn’t fully human, it seems that you somehow feel that any treatment of that subhuman is justifiable. From harassment to shootings to torture, whether the dehumanized happen to be gay or muslim or atheist or brown or female or poor, it’s the same thing.
People who champion dehumanization are – from my perspective at least – promoting evil. And the people who close their eyes to the humanity of others have no right to call themselves ethical or religious.
Some quotations to think about:
“With or without religion, good people can behave well and bad people can do evil; but for good people to do evil—that takes religion.” ~ Steven Weinberg, Nobel Laureate, Physics
‎”To do evil a human being must first of all believe that what he’s doing is good… Ideology – that is what gives devildoing its long-sought justification and gives the evildoer the necessary steadfastness and determination.” ~ Alexander Solzhenitsyn
‎”For thou are not a God who delights in wickedness; evil may not sojourn with thee. The boastful may not stand before thy eyes; thou hatest all evildoers. Thou destroyest those who speak lies; the Lord abhors bloodthirsty and deceitful men.”
~ Psalm 5:4‎”To sin by silence when they should protest makes cowards of men.” ~ George Washington
‎”Political language is designed to make lies sound truthful and murder respectable, and to give an appearance of solidity to pure wind.” ~ George Orwell
‎”Anyone who has proclaimed violence his method inexorably must choose lying as his principle.” ~ Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn
‎”There is nothing worse than aggressive stupidity.” ~ Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
One thought on “Dehumanizing Ideologies are at the Root of Evil”
I myself have been thinking lately…that when people are scared they will justify a lot of evil.
When you’ve suffered a horrific experience (the Russians invaded by the Nazis; the Americans attacked on 9/11), it seems logical and becomes easy to justify all kinds of “pre-emptive” actions.
I remember how silly I thought it was, when I was visiting the Soviet Union, that I wasn’t allowed to take a picture if it included a factory or a train station in the background. After 9/11 and many suicide bombings, I understand the reasoning.
I joined Amnesty International in 1979 after reading about the tortures inflicted by the Shah of Iran’s secret police, and Solzhenitsyn’s descriptions of the Soviet GULAG. Now the U.S. itself has inflicted similar tortures in its War Against Terror.
The Fear makes these actions seemed justified. But even the Nazis had their own rationale for what they did to other people. Fear, in addition to dehumanization, lowers people to these depths.
It is difficult, but it would be better if people could be led to realize: Even when horrific things have been done to *you* (and the perpetrators seem “sub-human”), you should not treat *them* despicably. You can argue that they deserve it — but treating *them* that way in return actually debases *you*.
Perhaps *that* is behind Jesus’ remark, “Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you.” It isn’t simply “being nice to them” — it’s saving yourselves.