ABSTRACT
The way we have previously looked at authoritarianism is basically wrong. Authoritarianism is merely the symptom to the human propensity to engage first in ethnocentrism and eventually dehumanization. We envision our group as the best group and others as not quite as good. This chapter argues that dehumanization is a more basic conceptual foundation from which authoritarianism emerges, and we need to think about of a near universal propensity to dehumanize rather than "right-wing" authoritarianism. Conflict theory suggests that conflict between different groups determine how our society will be organized. The failure to recognize our ability to dehumanize others means that some group we do not like will suffer. Taking this vision of society seriously provides insight into the motivations and intentions of many social actors. We see a call for social justice as more than a principle but as a way to lift up progressive groups one is connected to.
