Conclusion

Abstract

Abstract What can be done to counter dehumanization? This chapter reflects on what could and should be done to resist dehumanization using measures to counteract, challenge, or mitigate its exclusionary logic. Three constitutive elements of our response to dehumanization are identified: persuasion, support, and coercion. The chapter’s main argument is that strategies of persuasion should be the cornerstone of our approach since dehumanization is a social process that is upheld by ideology and propaganda. Support to the victims of dehumanization is required to affirm the moral significance of their human subjectivity and rebuild trust in the moral human community. Beyond persuasion and support, coercive means, directed against perpetrators, may be needed to resist dehumanization in light of its detrimental impact on the victims’ lives. The chapter therefore considers which forms of coercion, aimed at restricting the space for action and expression available to perpetrators, are conceivable and permissible.