Objectification

In social philosophy, objectification means treating a person as a thing, without regard to their dignity.

According to the philosopher Martha Nussbaum, a person is objectified if they are treated:

• as a tool for another's purposes (instrumentality);
• as if lacking in agency or self-determination (denial of autonomy, inertness);
• as if owned by another (ownership);
• as if interchangeable (fungibility);
• as if permissible to damage or destroy (violability);
• as if there is no need for concern for their feelings and experiences (denial of subjectivity).

See also

• Sexual objectification
• Dehumanization
• Edward Said's Imagined geographies