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The roots of evil: The origins of genocide and other group violence
... Due to the lack of empathy, empathy gaps, dyspathy and antipathy, people tend to traumatize each other, enter into conflicts and lead bloody wars, which today can threaten the survival of humanity (Baron -Cohen 2011). Sad to say, many have still believed war is glorious both in itself and in its aims and the important source of war is the view is either of the need for self-defense or that conflict cannot be peacefully resolved through agreement, compromise or cooperation (see Staub 1989). What is more pathological is intergroup dyspathy manifesting in feeling pleasure in response to out-group members' adversity (Schadenfreude) and displeasure in response to their success (Glueckschmertu) and which is commonly associated with discrimination and readiness to harm the others (Cikara et al. 2014). ...
... According to Lobaczewski (2006) all pathocracies of the world are, and have been so similar in their essence. Ponerogenesis (Greek poneros -evil), the process of the genesis of evil is usually associated with dark tetrad personality features, sense of being better than others, having historical right to rule over them, and political ideologies that identify and create enemies (Staub 1989). ...
Mental health as a crucial global public good requires action of all scientific, political, social and cultural disciplines and sectors in our VUCA (volatile, uncertain, complex, ambiguous) world. Empathy based on love as life philosophy and a way of being in the world is the most essential and basic core element in human communications which leads to healthy, creative, flourishing, and well-functioning families, communities, nations, societies, and civilizations. Culture of empathy is an essential part of the new 2.0 Enlightenment which is a mental, social, spiritual and political movement that inspires aspiration towards global human spirit, collective mind and humanistic self, public and global mental health, cosmopolitism and empathic civilization.
... Autrement dit, la déshumanisation correspond au fait de ne pas reconnaître certains groupes ou certains individus comme pleinement humains. Les travaux précurseurs sur la déshumanisation ont majoritairement visé à comprendre l'origine des violences extrêmes telles que les génocides ou les actes de torture (Kelman, 1973 ;Staub, 1989). Le début des années 2000 a ensuite été marqué par une nouvelle manière de concevoir la déshumanisation. ...
... A l'origine, les premiers travaux sur la déshumanisation ont visé à comprendre les facteurs pouvant conduire à des violences extrêmes (Kelman, 1973 ;Staub, 1989). Leur objectif n'a pas été d'identifier et de mesurer le déni des caractéristiques humaines, mais plutôt d'examiner la déshumanisation extrême envers certains groupes sociaux. ...
[English] The question of “what constitutes a human being?” has been a topic of ongoing interest among authors. While various definitions of humanness have been proposed, relatively few studies have specifically examined lay conceptions of the human being. The majority of research in this area focused on humanness attributions, with numerous studies reporting greater humanness attributions to members of one's ingroup compared to members of outgroups. However, these findings were controversial and alternative interpretations were developed. Some researchers suggested that human being may be a prototype. Other highlighted variations in the centrality of
characteristics to the concept of humanness. Despite differences in lay conceptions of humanness, a universal understanding of the human being has been put forth. Furthermore, the majority of these studies was limited to cross-cultural variations, neglecting other social groups. In this thesis, we focus on gender groups (i.e. men and women). On one side, previous research evidenced a
more positive evaluation and a greater attribution of humanness to women, including from men. This preference for women was related to benevolent sexism, which values conformity to gender stereotypes. On the other side, men are considered more prototypical of inclusive categories, including "humanity". These elements raised two research questions: 1/ Does the conception of the human being differ between men and women? 2/ Does this conception rely on the characteristics of the ingroup or does one of the two gender identities dominate? To address these research questions, we also investigated the relationships between this conception and ingroup identification, sexism and adherence to egalitarian policies. The research program was structured around three empirical chapters. In the first chapter, a qualitative approach is used to investigate variations in the content of the representation of the human being between women and men among adults (studies 1-3), and among children and adolescents (study 2). In the second one, we examine whether feminine and masculine stereotypical characteristics are perceived as central in the definition of human being (studies 4, 5). In line with the literature on attributions of humanness, the perceptions of Human Uniqueness and Human Nature of these characteristics are also measured (studies 6, 7). In the third chapter we rely on the methodology of ingroup projection and we investigate whether individuals project typical characteristics of women and men onto the prototype of the human being (studies 8, 9). In the last study, we extend this investigation to a population of children and adolescents (study 10). This research program allows several results to be extracted. Firstly, while the content of the representation of the human being appears similar between women and men (studies 1-3), variations appear in terms of the centrality and uniqueness attributed to certain characteristics (studies 8, 9). Secondly, feminine stereotypical characteristics are widely perceived as more central in the definition of human being by both women and men (studies 3-5, 8) and is related to the degree of benevolent sexism among participants. This observation is also found in girls (but not in boys, study 10). Conversely, masculine characteristics are perceived as more specific to the human being by women and men (studies 6-7). All of these results are discussed in reference to the “women are wonderful” effect. The need for future research to distinguish a descriptive representation of human being and a normative representation (i.e. in terms of ideal human) is also discussed.
[French] La question « qu’est-ce qu’un être humain ? » a suscité l’intérêt de nombreux⋅se⋅s auteur⋅e⋅s depuis des siècles. Si de nombreuses définitions de l’être humain ont émergé, peu de recherches ont investigué les représentations profanes de l’être humain. En psychologie sociale, cette question a majoritairement été étudiée sous l’angle des attributions d’humanité à autrui. De nombreuses recherches ont notamment rapporté une plus grande attribution à son groupe d’appartenance comparativement à d’autres groupes sociaux. Récemment ces travaux ont été soumis à la critique et de nouvelles perspectives ont émergé. Parmi ces perspectives, certaines ont proposé de considérer l’humain comme un prototype et d’examiner si certaines caractéristiques pourraient être plus centrales que d’autres. Si quelques recherches mettent en évidence des variations dans la représentation de l’humain, ces différences ont été relativement minimisées au profit d’une représentation de l’humain plus universelle. De plus, la grande majorité de ces travaux s’est focalisée sur les variations interculturelles négligeant les autres groupes sociaux. Dans cette thèse, notre intérêt s’est porté plus spécifiquement sur les groupes de genre (i.e. femmes et hommes). Certaines études ont mis en évidence une évaluation plus positive ainsi qu’une plus grande attribution d’humanité à l’égard des femmes, y compris chez les hommes. Ce favoritisme envers les femmes est néanmoins relié à une forme de sexisme (i.e. sexisme bienveillant) qui valorise la conformité aux stéréotypes de genre. D’autres études ont rapporté que les hommes sont considérés comme plus prototypiques d’un ensemble de catégories inclusives, notamment « l’humanité ». Ces éléments théoriques nous ont amené à formuler deux questions de recherche : 1/ La représentation de l’humain diffère-t-elle entre les femmes et les hommes ? 2/ Cette représentation repose-t-elle sur les caractéristiques de l’endogroupe ou une des deux identités de genre domine-t-elle ? Nous avons également investigué les liens entre cette représentation et l’identification à l’endogroupe, le sexisme et l’adhésion à des politiques égalitaires. Le programme de recherche s’est articulé autour de trois chapitres empiriques. Le premier adopte une approche qualitative afin d’examiner les potentielles variations dans le contenu de la représentation de l’humain entre les femmes et les hommes chez les adultes (études 1-3) et chez les enfants et les adolescent⋅e⋅s (étude 2). Le deuxième examine dans quelle mesure les caractéristiques stéréotypées féminines et masculines sont perçues comme centrales dans la définition de l’humain (études 4, 5). Pour faire le lien avec les travaux sur les attributions d’humanité, les perceptions d’Unicité et de Nature humaine de ces caractéristiques sont également étudiées (études 6, 7). Enfin, le troisième chapitre s’appuie sur la méthodologie de la projection de l’endogroupe et examine dans quelle mesure les individus projettent les caractéristiques typiques des femmes et des hommes sur le prototype de l’humain. Enfin, une dernière étude appréhende ce même phénomène auprès d’une population d’enfants-adolescent⋅e⋅s.
Ce programme de recherche permet de dégager plusieurs résultats. Tout d’abord, si le contenu de la représentation de l’être humain s’avère relativement identique entre les femmes et les hommes (études 1-3), des variations apparaissent au niveau de la centralité et de l’unicité attribuées à certaines caractéristiques (études 8-9). Ensuite, les caractéristiques stéréotypées féminines sont largement perçues comme plus centrales dans la définition de l’humain par les femmes et par les hommes adultes (études 3-5, 8). Ce constat est également trouvé chez les filles, mais pas chez les garçons (étude 10). Cet effet est relié au degré de sexisme bienveillant des participant⋅e⋅s. À l’inverse, les caractéristiques masculines sont perçues comme plus spécifiques de l’être l’humain par les femmes et les hommes (études 6-7). L’ensemble de ces résultats est discuté en référence à l’effet « les femmes sont merveilleuses » (women-are-wonderful-effect). La pertinence de distinguer dans de futures recherches une représentation descriptive de l’humain et une représentation normative (i.e. en termes d’humain idéal) est également discutée.
... 5 Ponerogenesis (Greek Poneros-evil), the process of the genesis of evil, is usually associated with dark tetrad personality features, a sense of being better than others, having the historical right to rule over them, and political ideologies that identify and create enemies. 6 People with dark tetrad personalities are characterized by self-aggrandizement (narcissism), manipulative behavior and taking advantage of others (Machiavellianism), impulsivity and lack of empathy (psychopathy) and sadism (cruelty for pleasure). Although these four personality characteristics describe persons who are prone to cruel behavior and abusing others, each one has a distinct profile. ...
... An important source of wars is the view that war is either of the need for self-defense or that conflict cannot be peacefully resolved through agreement, compromise or cooperation. 6 Due to our narrative self, enduring collective resilience, coherence, and power come from telling stories that gather and unite. Our personal, national, religious, and civilizational identity and meaning in life are based on the stories we tell over the course of our lives. ...
... Considering the internal dynamics often associated with the problem of evil, it is no surprise then that various psychological accounts have emerged to explain the origin and nature of evil. From a psychological perspective, Staub (1989) considers evil to be any deed with the undesirable effect of damage or harm. Seen in this light, evil has the characteristic of portending circumstances that impinge human dignity and happiness. ...
An influential approach to the understanding of evil is the one related to the study of human nature, which privileges investigations into the psychological, and possibly biological factors that motivate human actions. In social and moral philosophy, we see strands of the arguments in the debate between egoists and altruists in their descriptive and normative analysis of human conducts. More recently however, focus has shifted to the study of the sociological drivers of acts of evil, in the face of the world wars, genocides, ideological extremism and acts of terrorism that are today more rampant, deliberate and devastating. In this chapter, we argue that a monolithic account of evil while beneficial, is inadequate in explaining a phenomenon we are yet to fully understand. Sociological accounts of evil, while enlightening, are themselves no substitute for the psychological approach. We suggest therefore, that a psychosocial approach to understanding evil appears more promising, as it explores the interplay between subjective and objective factors that motivate evil actions. 2
... HS can erode the dignity and equality principles underpinning democratic societies, leading to social fragmentation (Matsuda et al., 1993). It can also serve as a precursor to physical violence, as history has often shown (Staub, 1989). ...
This study aims to investigate the circulation, consumption, and learning of anonymous users’ hatred in online communities, focusing on the reception process of hate speech targeting Korean Chinese people, a group long discriminated against by native Koreans and the media. It identifies critical factors shaping attitudes toward Korean Chinese (i.e., Chaoxianzu), defining hate as long-term sentiments resulting from repeated immediate emotions triggered by specific incidents and social identities. This study adopts a grounded theory approach, employing interviews to construct a paradigm model that captures the authentic perspectives of online community users. Following the coding process, 17 categories and 38 subcategories emerged. Online audiences consolidate or maintain their attitudes through admission, resistance, exploration, and reproduction after exposure to hate expressions toward Korean Chinese. Self-intervention, personal experience, quality of verbal stimulation, and patriotism function as interventional conditions or environmental contexts throughout this process.
... Considering the internal dynamics often associated with the problem of evil, it is no surprise then that various psychological accounts have emerged to explain the origin and nature of evil. From a psychological perspective, Staub (1989) considers evil to be any deed with the undesirable effect of damage or harm. Seen in this light, evil has the characteristic of portending circumstances that impinge human dignity and happiness. ...
An influential approach to the understanding of evil is the one related to the study of human nature, which privileges investigations into the psychological, and possibly biological factors that motivate human actions. In social and moral philosophy, we see strands of the arguments in the debate between egoists and altruists in their descriptive and normative analysis of human conducts. More recently however, focus has shifted to the study of the sociological drivers of acts of evil, in the face of the world wars, genocides, ideological extremism and acts of terrorism that are today more rampant, deliberate and devastating. In this chapter, we argue that a monolithic account of evil while beneficial, is inadequate in explaining a phenomenon we are yet to fully understand. Sociological accounts of evil, while enlightening, are themselves no substitute for the psychological approach. We suggest therefore, that a psychosocial approach to understanding evil appears more promising, as it explores the interplay between subjective and objective factors that motivate evil actions.
... Here, we still have a long path to go, but the actual understanding of some of our established social psychological insights became brutally timely and relevant and something that needed further exploration. The psychological aspects of genocide, and the role of those involved, let alone the bystanders, had been well described by Staub (1989) in his book, "The Roots of Evil." The relevance of this work became stronger than ever. ...
The close connection between psychology and human rights is discussed through a presentation of the Human Rights Committee in the Norwegian Psychological Association. The importance of human rights education for a human rights-based approach in psychology is highlighted. The article describes the political events and the strengthening of the international human rights field that inspired the establishment of the committee and the definition of its goals. Main areas are presented, such as the psychological needs of refugees and their rights in resettlement countries, including the right to rehabilitation of victims of torture and the situation for separated minors seeking asylum, and their need for protection and care. Furthermore, human rights in mental health care, focusing on the rights of persons with disabilities, as well as children’s rights, and state obligations to prevent violence and abuse are central concerns. The right not to be discriminated or marginalized is emphasized and the need for psychologists to be involved in protection against discrimination. An international perspective focusing on psychologists involved in human rights abuses or psychologists themselves under threat is discussed as part of the committee’s engagement. The close collaboration with civil society organizations has enabled the committee to work with alternative reports to international monitoring mechanisms as part of periodic reporting, both to UN Treaty bodies and to the UN Human Rights Council (Universal Periodic Review). Finally, the importance of human rights-based psychology, and how joint initiatives can strengthen respect and promotion of rights, are reflected upon.
... For example, when feeling (over)controlled, people may seek out autonomy in their social environment. This pattern might occur on societal levels, too, which can trigger a social shift in the attractiveness of certain values and social groups (Staub, 1989). For example, during the COVID-19 pandemic, when societies started recommending people to socially distance and get vaccinated, many people may have felt that their autonomy needs were frustrated, and this may have motivated a turn toward anti-vax or even anti-government movements and parties. ...
In this paper, we argue that who one is and wants to become is closely related to whom one admires. Although the links between identity formation and exemplars have been largely neglected, we claim that integrating both literature studies provides interesting new insights. First, exemplars can play an important role in and constitute a powerful tool for people’s identity construction. Second, insights into identity formation processes can help better understand how people select, evaluate, and replace their exemplars. Third, we explore the ways in which external factors such as possible selves, social relationships, and emotions affect both exemplars and identity formation. Finally, we discuss how stigma, marginalization, and do-gooder derogation can prevent exemplars from playing a positive role in identity formation. By integrating existing perspectives on identity formation and exemplars, we explain how people obtain their personal commitments and what exactly can inspire their attempts to change or maintain their identity.
... These accounts emphasize the basic need to maintain a positive moral identity (Prentice et al., 2019) as the driving motivation behind scapegoating, suggesting that scapegoating should occur in contexts of salient personal or collective wrongdoing that elicit guilt and threaten one's moral standing. Staub (1989) noted that victims of genocide commonly find themselves scapegoated for complex threatening events (e.g., the failures of Germany's economy after WWI). Glick (2002) further suggests that the appeal of scapegoating stems from the fact it allows people to focalize blame onto a scapegoat in a way that provides a simple, culturallysanctioned explanation. ...
... For example, clinical work with clients who have trauma histories is frequently characterised by 'victim-victimiser-bystander' projective identification dynamics. Symbolic representations of these three roles are activated as the client or clinician fluidly shifts from disavowing and/or identifying with the feelings engendered by the helpless victim, powerful perpetrator, or powerless/indifferent bystander roles (Herman, 1992;Staub, 1989). ...
Clinical social work practice in organisational settings is complex and challenging. Effective practice is contingent on knowledge and skills that are particular for systems-based work involving multiple interprofessional mental health practitioners and clients interacting in a relational matrix. Yet, not all social work theories and constructs that were developed for application in individual, group, and family modalities are directly transferable to the practice environment of a treatment system. This paper offers a conceptual framework that synthesises contemporary psychodynamic theory with systems theory – referred to as a psychodynamic systems approach – to inform and advance knowledge of systems-based social work practice. This approach considers the interplay of dynamic processes among the four levels of the socially co-constructed system which constitute the system as a whole. It examines how five key clinical phenomena – transference, countertransference, splitting, projective identification and enactment – are actualised in systems. Definitions of these phenomena formulated from a dyadic perspective and a contemporary psychodynamic systems approach are offered, and their similarities and differences are discussed. A composite case example is provided to illustrate how several of these phenomena manifest in clinical practice.
... For instance, a child who learns about peace in safe and protected environments such as schools and workshops stands to lose virtues when that child subsequently comes to reside within a wider environment of injustice, discrimination, hierarchical structure, asymmetry of power, and xenophobia, where he is not taught lessons on how to resist majority shortfalls. To address the shortfalls of the 'contact hypothesis theory' stipulations, Staub [52] suggests that people who share attitudes should be encouraged to freely express their views within a receptive society. Irrespective of its shortfalls, the 'contact hypothesis theory' , has triggered the evolution of several applicable techniques that are in use as general teaching and learning methods, thus improving relations among groups. ...
Among the varied United Nations (UN) conflict containment templates, the ‘Peace Education’ concept is of relative novelty. Nonetheless, it has proven to be an effective conflict prevention tool at all societal levels. However, long before its official acceptance as a conflict prevention mechanism by the UN, traditional peace education had deep roots in Africa where parents and society have consciously thought the youth the essence of peaceful coexistence. In particular, Ghanaian children at their early stages through to adulthood are taken through lessons of several virtues at home that include love, togetherness, equality, fairness, tolerance, forgiveness, hospitality, reconciliation, and the fear of God, amongst others in terms of peace education. This study examined the conflict-preventive role of traditional peace education in Ghana. Accordingly, the study used an exploratory mixed-method approach to seek the views of 30 participants qualitatively and 1456 respondents quantitatively. It also relied on the content analysis of secondary and tertiary sources using sociological and historical approaches. The findings are that peace education via both formal and informal channels has become a key conflict prevention tool of the United Nations, and peace education has the potential and prospects of preventing conflicts in the 21st Century. Further, Ghana is recognized globally as one of the most peaceful countries in the world as largely attributed to its adherence to traditional home-grown lessons on peace education. Following challenges regarding the fullscale implementation of both formal and informal peace education in Ghana, the paper amongst others recommend that peace education programs should be incorporated into the regular school curriculums, with the total commitment of the government in terms of implementation and funding. Moreover, to prevent conflicts at the local level, there is a need to build the capacities of communities in terms of knowledge and skills in peace education.
... The word evil, said Horne (2008), comes from the Old English yfel, which then changed its spelling into Middle English evel, meaning 'up or over. ' Staub (1989' Staub ( , 1999 defines evil as extreme harm or extreme human destructiveness. This harm or destruction may come in various kinds, like suffering, pain, or loss of life. ...
This research analyzes the evil society portrayed in Ursula K. Le Guin’s “The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas.” The analysis focuses on how the citizens of Omelas commit such an inhuman act in the name of the city’s prosperity, thus, comes the term evil society. This research is descriptive and qualitative in nature. The data are taken from the description of the confined child and the people of Omelas. To elaborate on the portrayal of evil society within the story, the researchers employ Staub’s (1999) concept of evil actions. The concept details the definition of evil and its roots. The findings show that the evil society in the short story is identified by the evil acts that the society commits: the child sacrifice, the citizen’s ignorance, and the abiding laws.
... Staub, Ervin, 1989. The roots of evil: The origins of genocide and other group violence. ...
The author analyzes two cases before the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY), specific to the guilty plea of the accused. Stevan Todorovic, the chief of police in Bosanski Samac, is the highest-ranking official in the municipality who has pleaded guilty and expressed remorse for his own responsibility and the crimes committed. Damir Došen, a shift guard at the Keraterm camp in Prijedor, did the same. Were the acknowledgments of these two convicted war criminals an expression of true remorse or a way to avoid higher prison sentences by reaching an agreement with the court prosecutor's office? The answer to this question is suggested by the analysis of the behavior of Todorović and Došen after serving his prison sentence.
... He has also argued that the development of perpetrators is a gradual process taking place in small and often insignificant steps and influenced by a complex interplay of actors and factors. This has been referred to in different contexts as a "continuum of destruction" (Staub 1989), "cumulative radicalisation" (Mommsen 1997), or "continuum of otherisation" (Taylor 2009). Initial 'acts that cause limited harm can in time result in psychological changes that make further destructive actions possible.' ...
The increasing criminalisation of solidarity and human rights and earth defenders, and the deep polarisation around and the policing of the pandemic, have shed light on the importance of, but also of the ways in which our societies respond to dis/obedience. In this article, I use dis/obedience as an umbrella concept that opens up a line of thinking that includes obedience, conformism, apathy, silence, denial, but also dissent, counter-conducts, resistance, indocility, or disobedience. What role do these concepts play or for that matter could play in criminology? Condensing its gaze on crime and deviance and particularly on the individual has led criminology to a sustained disregard for large scale “crimes of obedience” and for entrenched situations, contexts and cultures of obedience that lead to major social harm, but also for the criminalisation of dissent and disobedience. In this article I propose an interdisciplinary and sustained engagement with a criminology of dis/obedience.
... A more balanced sampling in terms of respondents' gender should be obtained. Nonetheless, the findings of this study are noteworthy since they show that also females, who are usually regarded as more "communal" (e.g., Suitner and Maass, 2008) than males, react to situational threats restricting the scope of application of human rights to migrants, thus refusing to include them into their human moral community (Staub, 1989;Opotow, 1990). ...
Introduction
This study (N = 141, Mage = 20.15) aimed at deepening knowledge on the factors that can lead young adults to deny the inalienability of human rights to migrants by examining whether, under realistic and symbolic intergroup threat (versus no-threat), the denial of human rights to migrants increases. In doing so, the role of fraternalistic relative deprivation in mediating this relation was examined. Also, two potential positive factors were considered: in-depth exploration of personal identity in the educational domain and identification with the human group. Intergroup threat was expected to enhance perceived relative deprivation, thus reducing the attribution of human rights to migrants. Such relation was expected to be mediated by those factors expressing complex views of self and others (in-depth exploration of identity in the educational domain and identification with the human group).
Method
Realistic and symbolic threat were experimentally manipulated through a written scenario. In the no-threat condition, no scenario was presented.
Results
Showed significant effects of intergroup threat on the attribution of human rights to migrants, on perceived fraternalistic relative deprivation, on in-depth exploration of identity in the educational domain and identification with the human group. More specifically, intergroup realistic threat, but not symbolic threat, reduced the attribution of human rights to migrants and identification with the human group. Symbolic threat, but not realistic threat, increased the perception of fraternalistic relative deprivation, whereas both realistic and symbolic threat reduced in-depth exploration of identity in the educational domain, and identification with the human group. As shown by the sequential mediation analysis, and as expected, the effect of intergroup threat in reducing attribution of human rights to migrants was mediated by in-depth exploration of identity in the educational domain, identification with the human group, and fraternalistic relative deprivation. Implications of findings concerning the processes underlying identification with the human group and its beneficial effects in terms of humanization of a stigmatized outgroup were highlighted by stressing the intertwined nature of personal identity and social identity processes. The importance of complex views of self and others in helping to create inclusive generations of adults was also highlighted.
... As people's decision to comply with immoral orders can be influenced by several cultural, social and psychological factors 46,3 , we also integrated several additional predictor variables for prosocial disobedience. Deference to authority has been emphasized as a factor of importance to explain the genocide in Rwanda 47,48 and was thus added as a predictor variable with the aggression-submission-conventionalism scale 49 . Humans are sensitive to different competing issues of morality, which has been identified as a key reason for rescuing persecuted people 50 . ...
The aim of the present study was to offer a first investigation of the neuro-cognitive processes and the temporal dynamics at the neural level, together with cultural, social and psychological dimensions, that may support resistance to orders to harm another person. Using a novel experimental approach to study experimentally disobedience, we recruited individuals from the first generation born after the 1994 genocide in Rwanda. Seventy-two were recruited and tested in Rwanda and 72 were recruited and tested in Belgium. Results indicated that a higher neural response to the pain of others and a higher feeling of responsibility when people obeyed orders were associated with more resistance to immoral orders. We also observed that participants who had a higher processing, as measured through mid-frontal theta activity, when listening to the orders of the experimenter disobeyed less frequently to immoral orders. Further, participants experiencing a higher conflict before administering a shock to the ‘victim’ also disobeyed more frequently to immoral orders. Finally, a low cultural relationship to authority and a high estimated family suffering during the genocide were also associated with more disobedience to immoral orders. The present study opens new paths for interdisciplinary field research dedicated to the study of obedience.
... A range of factors has been identified as precursors to genocide. These include difficult life conditions (Staub, 1989), ethnic stratification within a pluralistic society (Kuper, 1981), a prevailing culture of cruelty (Waller, 2002), political upheaval (Harff, 2003), state failure (Fein, 1999), and autocratic government (Harff, 2004). But the role of these societal factors needs to be re-examined, especially in regards to their perceived causal centrality in the genocidal process. ...
I denne artikel håber jeg at vise, at storpolitik (læs: folkemord) er yderst menneskelig og derfor også psykologisk. Psykologi har definitivt meget at tilføre både historieforskning og den politiske videnskab, siden historie er politik og politik ER psykologi. Psykologer må ikke være bange for de store processer. Når man blot fokuserer på det individuelle i vor globaliserede verden, risikerer man at trivialisere sig selv og sine argumenter i den samfundsmæssige debat. Hvis psykologien vil noget mere end at lindre privat lidelse inden for klinikkens lyddæmpede vægge, må den få øjnene op ikke kun for det sociale i mennesket, men også for det menneskelige i det sociale og det socialpsykologiske i samfundets systemer. Denne artikel er et eksempel på denne indgangsvinkel. Jeg udforsker den psykopolitiske sammenhæng mellem demokrati og folkemord, både gennem at skitsere de historiske og systemiske forbindelser og ved at undersøge den farlige interaktion mellem voldsregimer og deres demokratiske modparter. Det er klart, at folkemord er enorme historiske og politiske processer, men dette betyder ikke, at de ikke også er højst psykologiske begivenheder.
... The beginnings of the Theory of Dehumanization start with Kelman (1973) and Staub (1989) who examined this phenomenon from the context of mass violence. Likewise, Opotow (1990) analysed dehumanization as one of the several forms of moral exclusion in which people were placed out from where moral values, rules and considerations of justice are applied. ...
The objective of this research was to examine the mediating role that organizational dehumanization plays between authentic leadership and job satisfaction. The study was carried out with a sample of 422 participants, 50.7% were men and 49.3% women, with an average age of 38.96 years. The workers belong to different public and private organizations in Chile, and they responded to instruments of sociodemographic characterization, employment history and the scales of organizational dehumanization, authentic leadership, and job satisfaction. Data analysis included descriptive, correlational, and mediation analyses. The results allow us to maintain the hypothesis that organizational dehumanization plays a mediator role in the relationship between authentic leadership and job satisfaction. Implications of these findings are discussed.
... According to Fowler (1991) and Staub (1989), ethnicity results from mere categorisation of people by others and it is assigned "according to the requirements of the classifiers" (Eriksen, 1996: 8). Thus, "ethnic boundaries are between whoever people think they are between" (Fardon, 1987: 176). ...
... Studies also confirmed that the mass media could improve intergroup relations in societies marked by violence (e.g., Bilali & Vollhardt, 2013;Bilali et al., 2015). Listening to educational serial drama as a part of media intervention based on theories of intergroup conflict, reconciliation, and trauma healing after mass violence (Pearlman, 2013;Staub, 1989Staub, , 2011 increased intergroup trust, tolerance, and perspective taking (Paluck, 2009(Paluck, , 2010Paluck & Green, 2009), decreased social distance (Bilali et al., 2015) and the need to see the ingroup as the only victim of the conflict (Bilali & Vollhardt, 2013;Bilali et al., 2015). Yet, compared to research from non-conflict settings, the majority of studies from conflict and post-conflict settings examined the effects of specifically designed mass-media interventions on intergroup relations and not generally broadcast mass-media content (cf., Rupar & Graf, 2019). ...
Four correlational studies (N Albanians = 232, N Serbs = 129, N Bosniaks = 147, N Croats = 367) and one experimental study (N Bosniaks = 682), investigated the link between mass-mediated contact (i.e., information about former adversaries from the mass media) and forgiveness towards former adversaries in post-conflict societies. Specifically, we tested the association between positive and negative mass-mediated contact with one former adversary and forgiveness towards this former adversary (i.e., a primary transfer effect, Studies 1-4) and another former adversary (i.e., a secondary transfer effect, Studies 2-4). Positive mass-mediated contact with one former adversary was linked to greater forgiveness towards that former adversary and another former adversary. Intergroup trust mediated the primary transfer effect of positive mass-mediated contact, whereas generalization of trust and forgiveness from one former adversary to another mediated the secondary transfer effect. Our results underline the important role of positive but not negative mass-mediated contact with former adversaries in reconciliation.
... Studies also confirmed that the mass media could improve intergroup relations in societies marked by violence (e.g., Bilali & Vollhardt, 2013;Bilali et al., 2015). Listening to educational serial drama as a part of media intervention based on theories of intergroup conflict, reconciliation, and trauma healing after mass violence (Pearlman, 2013;Staub, 1989Staub, , 2011 increased intergroup trust, tolerance, and perspective taking (Paluck, 2009(Paluck, , 2010Paluck & Green, 2009), decreased social distance (Bilali et al., 2015) and the need to see the ingroup as the only victim of the conflict (Bilali & Vollhardt, 2013;Bilali et al., 2015). Yet, compared to research from non-conflict settings, the majority of studies from conflict and post-conflict settings examined the effects of specifically designed mass-media interventions on intergroup relations and not generally broadcast mass-media content (cf., Rupar & Graf, 2019). ...
... Sosyal psikologlar yıllarca insanın başka insanlara uyguladığı saldırganlık, şiddet ve ayrımcılığın nedenlerini aramışlardır. Örneğin Kelman (1976) ve Staub (1989) bu sorulara yanıt verebilmek adına, kitlesel şiddet eylemlerinde ortaya çıkan durumu tanımlamak adına insandışılaştırma kavramını kullanmışlardır. Kelman (1976) insandışılaştırmayı, bireysel kimlik veya bağlı olunan topluluğun özelliklerinin reddi olarak tanımlamıştır. ...
Cinsiyetle ilgili değişkenlerin insanlık algısı üzerinde etkisi var mıdır? Bu araştırma sorusundan türetilen hipotezleri test etmek amacıyla 2 (atfedilen cinsiyet: kadın ismi veya erkek ismi) x 2 (cinsiyet ifadesi: kadınsı görünüm veya erkeksi görünüm) x 2 (cinsel yönelim bilgisi: heteroseksüel veya eşcinsel) gruplararası faktöryel desenin kullanıldığı iki ayrı deney yapılmıştır. İnsanlık algısı, insanı hayvanlardan (insan biricikliği) ve robotlardan (insan doğası) ayıran özelliklerinin hedef kişiye ne derece atfedildiği üzerinden elde edilmiştir. Toplamda 131 üniversite öğrencisinin (yaş Ort. = 20.05; SS = 2.12; 59 kadın) yer aldığı birinci deneyde, sadece cinsiyet ifadesinin insanlık algısı üzerindeki temel etkisinin anlamlı olduğu bulunmuştur. Kadınsı cinsiyet ifadesine sahip kişilere erkeksi cinsiyet ifadesine sahip olanlara kıyasla insan doğasına ait özellikler anlamlı şekilde daha fazla atfedilmiştir. Toplam 146 üniversite öğrencisinin (yaş Ort. = 21.59 SS = 1.69, 105 kadın) katıldığı ikinci deneyde ise hem cinsiyet ifadesi hem de cinsel yönelimin temel etkileri insanlık algısı üzerinde gruplar arasında anlamlı farklar ortaya çıkarmıştır. Kadınsı cinsiyet ifadesine sahip bireylere erkeksi cinsiyet ifadesine sahip olanlara kıyasla, ve eşcinsellere heteroseksüellere kıyasla insan doğasına ait özellikler anlamlı şekilde daha fazla atfedilmiştir. Ayrıca ikinci çalışmada, cinsiyet ve cinsiyet ifadesinin ortak etkisinin anlamlı olduğu, insan biricikliğine ait özelliklerin, erkeksi cinsiyet ifadesine sahip olan erkeklere (cinsiyetle uyumlu cinsiyet ifadesi) erkeksi cinsiyet ifadesine sahip olan kadınlara (cinsiyetle uyumsuz cinsiyet ifadesi) kıyasla daha çok atfedildiği bulunmuştur. İkinci çalışmada yazılı materyal (vinyet) yerine görsel materyalin (fotoğraf) kullanılması daha fazla hipotezin desteklendiği bulgular ortaya çıkarmıştır. Bulgular genel olarak değerlendirildiğinde, kadınsılığın doğayla ve duygusallıkla, erkeksiliğin ise kültürle ve rasyonellikle özdeşleştirildiğini ortaya koyan alan yazınla uyumlu yönde olduğu görülmektedir. Cinsiyet ifadesinin cinsiyetten ve cinsel yönelimden bağımsız bir değişken olduğunun ortaya konması, bu araştırmanın alana en önemli katkısıdır. Saç kesimi, giyim şekli gibi fiziksel görünümle dışa vurulan ve cinsiyetin önemli bir edimsel yönü olan cinsiyet ifadesi, insanlık algısında anlamlı bir fark ortaya çıkarmaktadır.
This study investigates how negative in-group favoritism (the allocation of white noise) is associated with belonging in the minimal group paradigm. Participants were assigned to minimal groups and then randomly allocated to one of three Cyberball conditions (inclusion, ostracism, or no feedback). Subjective levels of belonging were then measured. Participants were then allowed to show in-group favoritism or fairness. Immediately after, this belonging was again measured. The results revealed that included and ostracized participants exhibited higher levels of in-group favoritism than those in the no-feedback condition. Notably, individuals who experienced inclusion displayed the most pronounced in-group favoritism. Additionally, an increase in the sense of belonging among ostracized individuals was directly associated with their engagement in-group favoritism. The ramifications of these findings are discussed.
The concept of cognitive niche is useful to frame morality and violence in a naturalistic perspective. The first sections of this chapter aim at deepening our understanding of this concept, taking advantage of an evolutionary framework that is ideally linked to the considerations I have provided in chapter one, focused on the role of coalition enforcement in illustrating violence as a natural (animal and human) behavior.
One of the persistent features of modern life is the increasing incidence of anger and aggression which culminate in hostility and violence. The incidence of these negative emotions is on the rise at various levels (e.g., individual, family, group, and nation), and humanity is paying heavy costs in terms of loss of life, increase in ecological hazards, and rise in challenges to health. Aggression is used as an instrument for gaining control over power, authority, and resources. The cultural control or regulatory mechanisms are compromised by the rise of consumerism and competitiveness. On the whole, violence and negativity are assuming alarming proportions. Against this backdrop, this chapter examines the social and cultural context of anger and aggression and discusses the strategies to deal with them. It is argued that control of anger and aggression and promotion of peace and harmony require multi-pronged strategies.
In the era of globalization, no country is monocultural today. All countries are cultural mosaics since different ethnic groups have their own unique set of traditions. It is particularly important to appreciate and respect these traditions since they represent an integral part of our cultural heritage. Likewise, in many countries, the majority population is far greater than all the minorities combined, whereas, in others, the minority groups all together comprise a significantly large number. In this increasingly integrated yet fragmented world, many multi-ethnic countries face the challenges of preventing cultural conflicts between diverse groups and finding solutions. A fresh wave of persecution and violence against minority groups for their membership in a pluralistic society has escalated in many parts of the world, altering the climate of peaceful coexistence and democratic oversight. Such challenges are particularly pressing for marginalized, vulnerable groups. The article endeavors to foster a more holistic interpretation of the questions: why do some regions of the world experience major incidents of ‘crimes against humanity' and gross human rights violations while others do not, and how do the ‘us vs. them’ politics, politicians, and other leaders subtly transform civilians into killers? The article also examines the triggering factors of major tragedies, particularly what sets off acts of ethnic cleansing or genocide. As such, exploring the demagogues’ malicious mission to subvert justice, democratic success, and the rule of law, creating destructive cultures on the path to mass atrocities, is the additional emphasis of this piece. This entry’s relevance depends on the quest for the conditions and prospects for conflict transformation, peacebuilding, and peaceful cohabitation across different cultural traditions in the changing socio-political and cultural milieu owing to contemporary global shifts to authoritarianism and illiberal populism.
As organizations increasingly rely on technology for the management, planning, and execution of activities and tasks. The consequence of technology use is technostress, which can ultimately affect workers’ mental and physical health. This study aimed to explore the factors influencing technostress in relation to conscientiousness and the mediating effects of organizational dehumanization based on hierarchical levels within the organization. The sample consisted of 190 adults, with the majority being teachers (57.4%). A moderated mediation analysis was employed using the PROCESS software. This study reveals that organizational dehumanization is a mechanism through which conscientiousness can foster technostress, mainly when the hierarchy level is situated at lower levels. Organizations should develop an approach to addressing technostress based on the hierarchical roles and competencies assumed by workers to promote healthier work environments and decrease the stress caused by technology.
Collective action occurs when people voluntarily join with one another for obtaining collective goods, such as rights and equality, that institutions fail to provide or bloc them from getting. Collective action has to overcome obstacles due to free riding, recruitment, participation, costs of organizing, and social control by the opposition. Collective actions range from episodic protests and hostile crowds to sustained social movements and civil strife.
Collective action theory in the tradition of methodological individualism assumes that individuals make adaptive decisions under uncertainty, contingent on expectations about the decisions of peers, opponents and bystanders. The four key variables of participation are number of participants, costs of participation, the value of the collective good, and the production function for different tactics and modes of contestation.
The reduction of uncertainty is achieved by strategies of resource mobilization, selective incentives, solidarity, bloc mobilization, political opportunity, shared culture, mass media effects, signaling of information, and pace setter-follower diffusion dynamics. The theory explains unconventional political and social advocacy in democratic and autocratic regimes, from routine politics, strikes, demonstrations, hostile crowds to social movements and other modes of confrontation.
Like all other crimes, genocide has some common elements such as an actus reus and a corresponding mens rea. Moreover, another subjective element is also present in all crimes of genocide which is the “intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a […] group as such.” This is also referred to as “genocidal intent” and it indicates that the criminal liability of genocide does not merely rely on the completed result of the committed act but depends on the intention of the perpetrator to achieve. However, the threshold of this intention is not as high as the mens rea narrated in Article 30 of the ICC Statute. In addition, there is no requirement for the existence of any special extent of this intention. Indeed, Dolus eventualis is adequate to perform the actus reus as well as to establish the particular “intent to destroy […].” The theoretical criterion of The Draft Elements of Crimes is both inadmissible and unadvisable for limiting the criminal liability of genocide or the authority of the Court for trying such crimes Keywords: Genocide, Genocidal Intent, ICC Statute, Mens Rea, Holocaust Abstrak. Seperti semua kejahatan lainnya, genosida memiliki beberapa elemen umum seperti actus reus dan mens rea yang sesuai. Selain itu, unsur subyektif lainnya juga hadir dalam semua kejahatan genosida yaitu “niat untuk menghancurkan, seluruhnya atau sebagian, suatu […] kelompok itu sendiri.” Ini juga disebut sebagai “niat genosida” dan ini menunjukkan bahwa pertanggungjawaban pidana genosida tidak hanya bergantung pada hasil akhir dari tindakan yang dilakukan tetapi tergantung pada niat pelaku untuk mencapainya. Namun ambang batas niat ini tidak setinggi mens rea yang diriwayatkan dalam Pasal 30 Statuta ICC. Selain itu, tidak ada persyaratan untuk adanya tingkat khusus dari niat ini. Memang, Dolus eventualis cukup untuk melakukan actus reus serta untuk menetapkan niat untuk menghancurkan [...]” tertentu. Kriteria teoretis dari Rancangan Elemen Kejahatan tidak dapat diterima dan tidak disarankan untuk membatasi pertanggungjawaban pidana genosida atau otoritas Pengadilan untuk mengadili kejahatan semacam itu Kata kunci: Genosida, Niat Genosida, Statuta ICC, Mens Rea, Holocaust
Purpose
The purpose of the research is to identify and analyze the cases of dating violence among the hate crimes against LGBTQ people in Russia. Dating violence (attacks on LGBTQ people with the use of dating services) became a common method of committing hate crimes in Russia in the late 2010s and was enabled by the discriminatory policies of the state.
Method
This research is part of a bigger project on anti-LGBTQ violence. The project generated a database of more than 1000 cases of such violence between 2010 and 2020 using court rulings as a primary source of data The current research is a continuation of this effort, it is looking into a specific category of hate crime – premeditated attacks in order to analyze the cases of dating violence.
Results
The research established that most of the cases in the category of premeditated attacks are cases of dating violence (239 out of 347). Most of those crimes (209) are cases of collective violence (committed by different anti-LGBTQ hate groups). There is evidence of the community impact in the incidents and in the agendas of the hate groups.
Conclusions
The research adds to the theoretical model of the progression of prejudice and argues that dating violence represents a more developed form of violence against LGBTQ people. This is due to the three distinguishing features (premeditation, collective form, and community impact) that are present in the cases.
This reflection explores the theories of evil in the field of genocide studies and highlights a ‘blind spot’ in understanding the motives behind mass killings. It discusses various theories of evil, ranging from individual-based to situational factors, and emphasizes the need for a nuanced understanding of diverse and complex motives. The reflection suggests that incorporating neuroscience into genocide studies may shed light on the motives behind violence by examining the impact of brain trauma and injury. However, it also raises questions about the extent to which neuroscience can provide a comprehensive explanation for motive and the implications of using neuroscientific evidence in genocide trials. The reflection concludes by discussing the limitations of attributing complete responsibility to the brain and the role of behavioral science in understanding criminal responsibility.
A global boom in mainly documentary films interviewing perpetrators recognizes the current shift from the era of the witness to that of the perpetrator. Post Khmer-Rouge Cambodian cinema (1989–present) is a unique and highly important case of perpetrator cinema. It proposes for the first time in cinema direct confrontation between first-generation survivor-filmmakers and perpetrators, a new form of genocidal interview: the documentary duel. Enabled both by the intimate horror of the autogenocide and the Khmer Rouge tribunal (the ECCC), dueling with high-ranking perpetrators shifts power relations between the two. In contrast, dueling with low-ranking perpetrators and collaborators, never to be tried, does not generate this much-desired shift. Thus, Cambodian collaboration revealed through cinema stresses the immense importance of the law in promoting familial-social-cultural processes of acknowledgement of accountability. Further, Cambodian duel documentaries constitute the ethics of “moral resentment” (my term), while objecting to and disrupting the political view that reconciliation is the only legitimate response to the atrocious past.
This collection engages with debates within ‘criminology’ about matters of colonial power, which have come to be conceptualized through the language of ‘decolonization’. It explores the uneasy relationship between the ‘criminal question’ and colonialism, and foregrounds the relevance of the legacies of this relationship to criminological enquiries. It invites and seeks to pursue a better understanding of the links between imperialism and colonialism on the one hand, and nationalism and globalization on the other, by exposing the imprints of these links on processes of marginalization, racialization, and exclusion that are central to contemporary criminal justice practices within and beyond nation-states. It advances this objective by examining the reverberations of colonial history and logics in the operation of crime control. The volume also aims to explore the critical potential of criminological scholarship, as a field that sits at the margins of several disciplines and perspectives, through a direct engagement with Southern epistemologies and perspectives. To do so, it brings together established and emerging scholars from the humanities and social sciences, who work at the intersections of criminal justice and postcolonial studies.
Les spécialistes du comportement continuent de se débattre avec la définition et le rôle du « spectateur » dans les périodes de violence de masse. En prenant la guerre en Bosnie-Herzégovine comme étude de cas, la professeure Iva Lučić analyse les crimes commis et les acteurs définis comme des spectateurs ; elle aborde également la question de savoir si le terme bystander (spectateur) s’applique à l’étude de cas de la Bosnie-Herzégovine.
Les spécialistes du comportement continuent de se débattre avec la définition et le rôle du « spectateur » dans les périodes de violence de masse. En prenant la guerre en Bosnie-Herzégovine comme étude de cas, la professeure Iva Lučić analyse les crimes commis et les acteurs définis comme des spectateurs ; elle aborde également la question de savoir si le terme bystander (spectateur) s’applique à l’étude de cas de la Bosnie-Herzégovine.
The current paper examines the aetiology of persecution committed against the Rohingya in Myanmar from a criminological perspective. Criminological theories focusing on one level of analysis may not fully explain the incidents concerning the systematic implementation of policies of persecution against the Rohingya for decades. Thus, the author scrutinizes the factors which are involved in the aetiology of persecution at three different levels: macro (national), meso (organizational) and micro (local community and individual) within four dynamics – namely, motivation, opportunity, control and constraint. This paper employs the case study method and collects data through focus group discussions with the Rohingya in the Kutupalong refugee camp in the Cox’s Bazar region of Bangladesh. It limits its analysis to the data that covers the events of persecution against the Rohingya in Myanmar, such as revocation of their citizenship, deprivation of their fundamental rights, and different forms of atrocity crimes, from 1962 to 2019. It reveals that, despite the heterogeneity of the actions that led to atrocity crimes against the Rohingya, the military leaders in charge of Myanmar (and somewhat Myanmar’s civilian government), military personnel and other security force members, paramilitaries and vigilantes played various roles in the perpetration of such crimes.
Psychologists have identified confirmation bias as a contributor to conflict and ideological extremism. However, the efficacy of social science’s existing arsenal of debiasing techniques remains largely unknown, and the extant positive findings have often been inconsistent and are in need of independent replication. In this registered report, we empirically tested the efficacy of three cognitive debiasing techniques in mitigating confirmation bias: consider-the-opposite, psychoeducation about bias, and social norms manipulation. In the control group, participants exhibited two manifestations of confirmation bias: selective exposure and biased assimilation. When it came to reducing these biases, we found evidence that the social norms technique reduced selective exposure relative to the control group, but little evidence that this was the case for the consider-the-opposite or psychoeducation techniques was found. None of the debiasing strategies significantly reduced biased assimilation relative to the control group. Comparing these strategies provides theoretical advancement in the processes that give rise to confirmation bias, and moreover, these results help to identify a promising technique to serve as the foundation for debiasing interventions, namely social norms interventions.
This article explores the myriad ways that Polish and Ukrainian residents engaged in violent and cruel behavior during World War II through a case study of the Chełm region. Under Nazi occupation, this formerly peaceful community exploded into a horrific scene of nationalist and popular violence. Jews were widely assaulted by their Polish and Ukrainian countrymen; Poles and Ukrainians engaged in mutual killings and ethnic cleansing; rural villagers were subjected to countless raids from area partisans; and escaped Soviet POWs were often denounced or otherwise attacked by area residents. Treating this outbreak as a whole, I argue that anti-Jewish violence was embedded in a vicious social transformation that engendered an array of crimes against multiple groups. By interweaving the fates of different ethnicities into a single study, my paper contextualizes Polish complicity during the Holocaust and highlights the sordid interactions between the German invaders, Jewish citizens, and local Christian society.
The twentieth century has been called “an age of politically sanctioned mass
murder … intended to serve the ends of the state” (Smith, 1987, p 22). It was a
century that witnessed the deaths of tens of millions of men, women and children
throughout the world due to war, forced starvation, and genocide, in addition to
a host of other acts of mass violence committed on a lesser scale. In the twentieth
century, it has been suggested that the crime of total genocide has occurred three
times, with the genocide of the Armenians by the Turks during World War I, the
genocide of the European Jews and Gypsies by the Nazis during World War II,
and the genocide of the Tutsi by the Hutu majority in Rwanda in 1994.1 Due to
the gravity of the crime a number of studies and investigations have sought to
determine the “warning signs” or causes of total genocide. This study constitutes
a further step in this direction and expands the work of past authors in an effort
to increase the general understanding of (1) the types of events and/or circum�stances that tend to contribute towards a state’s inclination to commit genocide, as
well as (2) how these events manage to accomplish this task. It is suggested by this
study that, in pluralized societies, the occurrence of total genocide depends largely
on the level of legitimacy acquired by governing institutions and the acceptance
of these institutions by the dominant elite. The institutions in question are those
that had been put into place for the purposes of improving conditions within the
state which had been rapidly deteriorating due to economic decline and various
other forms of crisis. In this respect, the institution of government acts as an
intervening variable between the societal structure in place, as well as the
particular crises which occur, and the outcome of genocide
Apocalypse, it seems, is everywhere. Preachers with vast followings proclaim the world's end. Apocalyptic fears grip even the non-religious amid climate change, pandemics, and threats of nuclear war. But as these ideas pervade popular discourse, grasping their logic remains elusive. Ben Jones argues that we can gain insight into apocalyptic thought through secular thinkers. He starts with a puzzle: Why would secular thinkers draw on Christian apocalyptic beliefs – often dismissed as bizarre –to interpret politics? The apocalyptic tradition proves appealing in part because it theorizes a special relation between crisis and utopia. Apocalyptic thought points to crisis as the vehicle to bring the impossible within reach, thus offering resources for navigating challenges in ideal theory, which tries to imagine the best and most just society. By examining apocalyptic thought's appeal and risks, this Open Access study arrives at new insights on the limits of ideal theory and utopian hope.
Written by an award-winning historian of science and technology, Planet in Peril describes the top four mega-dangers facing humankind – climate change, nukes, pandemics, and artificial intelligence. It outlines the solutions that have been tried, and analyzes why they have thus far fallen short. These four existential dangers present a special kind of challenge that urgently requires planet-level responses, yet today's international institutions have so far failed to meet this need. The book lays out a realistic pathway for gradually modifying the United Nations over the coming century so that it can become more effective at coordinating global solutions to humanity's problems. Neither optimistic nor pessimistic, but pragmatic and constructive, the book explores how to move past ideological polarization and global political fragmentation. Unafraid to take intellectual risks, Planet in Peril sketches a plausible roadmap toward a safer, more democratic future for us all.
The present study tested derivations from social learning theory on the disinhibition of aggression through processes that weaken self-deterring consequences to injurious conduct. Subjects were provided with opportunities to behave punitively under diffused or personalized responsibility toward groups that were characterized in either humanized, neutral, or dehumanized terms. Both dehumanization and lessened personal responsibility enhanced aggressiveness, with dehumanization serving as the more potent disinhibitor. Escalation of aggression under conditions of dehumanization was especially marked when punitiveness was dysfunctional in effecting desired changes. The uniformly low level of aggression directed toward humanized groups, regardless of variations in responsibility and instrumentality of the conduct, attested to the power of humanization to counteract punitiveness. Results of supplementary measures are consistent with the postulated relationship between self-disinhibiting processes and punitiveness. Dehumanization fostered self-absolving justifications that were in turn associated with increased punitiveness. Findings on the internal concomitants of behavior performed under different levels of responsibility suggest that reducing personal responsibility heightens aggressiveness more through social than personal sources of disinhibition.