Objectification
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| + | "In loving from [[sexual desire|sexual inclination]], they make the person into an object of their [[appetite]]. As soon as the person is possessed, and the appetite sated, they are thrown away, as one throws away a lemon after sucking the juice from it." --[[Immanuel Kant]] in his [[Immanuel Kant: Lectures on Ethics|''Lectures on Ethics'']] likens [[lust]] to [[sexual objectification]], see ""[[Kant and Eros]]''. | ||
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| - | '''Objectification''' is the process by which people assign meaning to things, people, places, activities, and the like. Thus they become part of cultural constructions which inform and guide people's behavior. | + | In [[social philosophy]], '''objectification''' is the act of treating a person, or sometimes an animal, as an [[object (philosophy)|object]] or a thing. |
| - | '''Objectification''' also refers to behavior in which one person treats another person as an object and not as a fellow human being with feelings and consciousness of his or her own. In this sense, it is a synonym of [[reification]]. The term is used, for instance, in reference to the [[mass media]] purported portrayal of women as [[sex object]]s. | + | == Definitions == |
| + | According to the philosopher [[Martha Nussbaum]], a person is objectified if one or more of the following properties are applied to them: | ||
| + | # '''Instrumentality''' – treating the person as a [[tool]] for another's purposes | ||
| + | # '''Denial of [[autonomy]]''' – treating the person as lacking in autonomy or [[self-determination]] | ||
| + | # '''[[Inert]]ness''' – treating the person as lacking in [[Agency (philosophy)|agency]] or [[Action (philosophy)|activity]] | ||
| + | # '''[[Fungibility]]''' – treating the person as interchangeable with (other) objects | ||
| + | # '''Violability''' – treating the person as lacking in boundary integrity and violable, "as something that it is permissible to break up, smash, break into." | ||
| + | # '''[[Ownership]]''' – treating the person as though they can be owned, bought, or sold | ||
| + | # '''Denial of [[subjectivity]]''' – treating the person as though there is no need for concern for their experiences or feelings | ||
| - | '''Self-objectification''' refers to a person's objectification of themselves. | + | Nussbaum has argued that the topic of objectification is not only important to sexuality, which has been discussed at length, but to the [[Marxism|Marxist]] view on [[capitalism]] and [[slavery]]. Nussbaum argues that potentially not all forms of objectification are inherently negative acts and that objectification may not always be present when one of the seven properties is present. |
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| + | [[Rae Helen Langton]], in ''[[Sexual Solipsism: Philosophical Essays on Pornography and Objectification]]'', proposed three more properties to be added to Nussbaum's list: | ||
| + | # '''Reduction to body''' – the treatment of a person as identified with their body, or body parts; | ||
| + | # '''Reduction to appearance''' – the treatment of a person primarily in terms of how they look, or how they appear to the senses; | ||
| + | # '''Silencing''' – the treatment of a person as if they are silent, lacking the capacity to speak. | ||
| ==See also== | ==See also== | ||
| * [[Dehumanization]] | * [[Dehumanization]] | ||
| - | * [[Edward Said]]'s [[Imagined geographies]] | + | * [[Reification (Marxism)]] |
| - | * [[Fetish model]] | + | |
| - | * [[Model (art)]] | + | |
| - | * [[Model (person)]] | + | |
| - | * [[Nude model]] | + | |
| * [[Sexual objectification]] | * [[Sexual objectification]] | ||
| + | *"[[Objectification (Martha Nussbaum)]]" (1995) | ||
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| {{GFDL}} | {{GFDL}} | ||
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"In loving from sexual inclination, they make the person into an object of their appetite. As soon as the person is possessed, and the appetite sated, they are thrown away, as one throws away a lemon after sucking the juice from it." --Immanuel Kant in his Lectures on Ethics likens lust to sexual objectification, see ""Kant and Eros. |
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In social philosophy, objectification is the act of treating a person, or sometimes an animal, as an object or a thing.
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Definitions
According to the philosopher Martha Nussbaum, a person is objectified if one or more of the following properties are applied to them:
- Instrumentality – treating the person as a tool for another's purposes
- Denial of autonomy – treating the person as lacking in autonomy or self-determination
- Inertness – treating the person as lacking in agency or activity
- Fungibility – treating the person as interchangeable with (other) objects
- Violability – treating the person as lacking in boundary integrity and violable, "as something that it is permissible to break up, smash, break into."
- Ownership – treating the person as though they can be owned, bought, or sold
- Denial of subjectivity – treating the person as though there is no need for concern for their experiences or feelings
Nussbaum has argued that the topic of objectification is not only important to sexuality, which has been discussed at length, but to the Marxist view on capitalism and slavery. Nussbaum argues that potentially not all forms of objectification are inherently negative acts and that objectification may not always be present when one of the seven properties is present.
Rae Helen Langton, in Sexual Solipsism: Philosophical Essays on Pornography and Objectification, proposed three more properties to be added to Nussbaum's list:
- Reduction to body – the treatment of a person as identified with their body, or body parts;
- Reduction to appearance – the treatment of a person primarily in terms of how they look, or how they appear to the senses;
- Silencing – the treatment of a person as if they are silent, lacking the capacity to speak.
[edit]
See also
- Dehumanization
- Reification (Marxism)
- Sexual objectification
- "Objectification (Martha Nussbaum)" (1995)
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