Abstract
Dehumanization researchers have robustly shown that people display remarkable variability in attributing humanity to others and outgroups, often with negative consequences for the dehumanized. We argue that a similar process operates at an interspecies level; people attribute less mind and humanity to animals, often with negative consequences for animals’ moral standing and treatment. We outline recent work demonstrating that people attribute farmed animals less mind and do so in a motivated fashion. Further, we examine evidence that this denial of mind undermines moral concern for farmed animals. Finally, we explore some of the avenues for improving both mind attribution and moral concern toward farmed animals. We conclude that while researchers have robustly demonstrated that a process similar to intergroup dehumanization occurs when omnivores think about farmed animals, we need more research to understand how this can be counteracted.
Joaquín Alcañiz Colomer
Postdoctoral researcher on the WHOCOUNTS project at IGOP, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona.
My research interests include social policies, attributions for poverty, punitive attitudes…