Inhumanity

Lack of humanity
Lack of humaneness
Loss of essential humanity
Nonhumanity
Subjugation of humanity to the material world

Nature

Inhumanity refers to the lack of compassion, empathy, or consideration for the suffering of others, often manifesting in acts of cruelty, violence, and oppression. It encompasses behaviors and systems that dehumanize individuals or groups, leading to widespread suffering and injustice. Inhumanity can be observed in various contexts, including war, discrimination, and systemic inequality. This problem undermines social cohesion, perpetuates cycles of violence, and hinders the development of a just society. Addressing inhumanity requires collective awareness, education, and a commitment to fostering empathy and respect for all individuals, regardless of their background or circumstances.

Incidence

Inhumanity manifests in various forms across the globe, with millions affected by violence, discrimination, and exploitation. According to the United Nations, over 70 million people were forcibly displaced by conflict and persecution in 2021, highlighting the widespread nature of inhumane treatment. Reports indicate that marginalized communities, including ethnic minorities and refugees, are disproportionately impacted, facing systemic injustices in regions such as the Middle East, Africa, and parts of Asia.
A notable instance of inhumanity occurred in Myanmar in 2017, when the Rohingya Muslim population faced violent military crackdowns, leading to the displacement of approximately 700,000 individuals to neighboring Bangladesh. This crisis drew international condemnation and highlighted the severe human rights violations occurring in the Rakhine State.

Claim

Indeed there is already a real perceptible danger that, while man's dominion over the world of things is making enormous advances, he should lose the essential threads of his dominion and in various ways let his humanity be subjected to the world and become himself something subject to manipulation in many ways – even if the manipulation is often not perceptible directly – through the whole of the organization of community life, through the production system and through pressure from the means of social communication. Man cannot relinquish himself or the place in the visible world that belongs to him; he cannot become the slave of things, the slave of economic systems, the slave of production, the slave of his own products. A civilization purely materialistic in outline condemns man to such slavery, even if at times, no doubt, this occurs contrary to the intentions and the very premises of its pioneers. The present solicitude for man certainly has at its root this problem. It is not a matter here merely of giving an abstract answer to the question: Who is man? It is a matter of the whole of the dynamism of life and civilization. It is a matter of the meaningfulness of the various initiatives of everyday life and also of the premises for many civilization programmes, political programmes, economic ones, social ones, state ones, and many others. (Papal Encyclical, Redemptor hominis, 4 March 1979).

Counter-claim

Inhumanity is often overstated as a pressing issue, overshadowed by more tangible concerns like poverty and climate change. While isolated incidents of cruelty exist, they do not define our society. Most people strive for kindness and compassion, making inhumanity an exaggerated problem. Focusing on sensationalized acts distracts from the real challenges we face, diverting attention and resources away from solutions that can genuinely improve lives. Let’s prioritize issues that affect the majority, rather than fixating on the extreme.