eBook - ePub

Less Than Human

Name: Less Than Human
Author: David Livingstone Smith

Why We Demean, Enslave, and Exterminate Others

David Livingstone Smith,

337 pages
English
ePUB (mobile friendly)
Available on iOS & Android

eBook - ePub

Less Than Human

Why We Demean, Enslave, and Exterminate Others

David Livingstone Smith,

About this book

A revelatory look at why we dehumanize each other, with stunning examples from world history as well as today's headlines.

Winner of the 2012 Anisfield-Wolf Book Award for Nonfiction

"Smith's compelling study and his argument that the study of dehumanization be made a global priority to prevent future Rwandas or Hiroshimas is well made and important." — Publishers Weekly

"Brute." "Cockroach." "Lice." "Vermin." "Dog." "Beast." People often regard other members of humankind as less than human, and use terms like these for those whom they wish to harm, enslave, or exterminate. Dehumanization has made atrocities like the Holocaust, the genocide in Rwanda, and the slave trade possible. But it isn't just a relic of the past. We still find it in war, genocide, xenophobia, and racism. Smith shows that it is a dangerous mistake to think of dehumanization as the exclusive preserve of Nazis, communists, terrorists, Jews, Palestinians, or any other monster of the moment. We are all potential dehumanizers, just as we are all potential objects of dehumanization.

Less Than Human is the first book to illuminate precisely how and why we sometimes think of others as subhuman creatures. It draws on a rich mix of history, evolutionary psychology, biology, anthropology, and philosophy to document the pervasiveness of this phenomenon, describe its forms, and explain why we so often resort to it. Less Than Human is a powerful and highly original study of the roots of human violence and bigotry, and it is as timely as it is relevant.

"Smith offers an impressively thorough survey of 'dehumanization' as it has been deployed against Jews, African Americans, and other 'Others'—as an accompaniment to exploitation and extermination." — Los Angeles Review of Books

Frequently asked questions

Yes, you can cancel anytime from the Subscription tab in your account settings on the Perlego website. Your subscription will stay active until the end of your current billing period. Learn how to cancel your subscription.

At the moment all of our mobile-responsive ePub books are available to download via the app. Most of our PDFs are also available to download and we're working on making the final remaining ones downloadable now. Learn more here.

Perlego offers two plans: Essential and Complete

Essential is ideal for learners and professionals who enjoy exploring a wide range of subjects. Access the Essential Library with 800,000+ trusted titles and best-sellers across business, personal growth, and the humanities. Includes unlimited reading time and Standard Read Aloud voice.
Complete: Perfect for advanced learners and researchers needing full, unrestricted access. Unlock 1.4M+ books across hundreds of subjects, including academic and specialized titles. The Complete Plan also includes advanced features like Premium Read Aloud and Research Assistant.

Both plans are available with monthly, semester, or annual billing cycles.

We are an online textbook subscription service, where you can get access to an entire online library for less than the price of a single book per month. With over 1 million books across 1000+ topics, we’ve got you covered! Learn more here.

Look out for the read-aloud symbol on your next book to see if you can listen to it. The read-aloud tool reads text aloud for you, highlighting the text as it is being read. You can pause it, speed it up and slow it down. Learn more here.

Yes! You can use the Perlego app on both iOS or Android devices to read anytime, anywhere — even offline. Perfect for commutes or when you’re on the go.
Please note we cannot support devices running on iOS 13 and Android 7 or earlier. Learn more about using the app.

Yes, you can access Less Than Human by David Livingstone Smith in PDF and/or ePUB format, as well as other popular books in Social Sciences & Genocide & War Crimes. We have over one million books available in our catalogue for you to explore.