instrumentalization
Treating as means
Instrumentalization is the act of treating something—or someone—as a tool for achieving an end rather than as valuable in itself.
The term appears frequently in ethics and philosophy: the instrumentalization of human beings, critics accused the campaign of instrumentalizing tragedy for political gain.
It implies a reduction of inherent worth to mere usefulness.
Reducing humans to things
- commodificationTransforming into sellable goods
- dehumanizationDenying personhood to others
- alienationState of being isolated
- reificationTreating abstracts as concrete
subjugation · oppression · dispossession · colonialism · imperialism · extraction · plunder · profiteering
Putting plans into effect
- deploymentOrganized distribution of resources
- operationalizationDefining concepts as measurable
- utilizationPractical application of something
- employmentPaid occupation status
mobilization · harnessing · channeling · systematization · proceduralization · activation · institutionalization · formalization
Pressured compliance through threats
- machinationCrafty scheming, often hostile
- schemingCrafty and calculating
- subversionUndermining established authority
- conditioningLearned behavioral adaptation
indoctrination · propaganda · leverage · maneuvering · calculating · gaming · engineering · orchestration
objectification
Reducing humans to things
- commodificationTransforming into sellable goods
- dehumanizationDenying personhood to others
- alienationState of being isolated
reification · subjugation · oppression · dispossession · colonialism · imperialism · extraction · plunder · profiteering · mercantilism
implementation
Putting plans into effect
- deploymentOrganized distribution of resources
- operationalizationDefining concepts as measurable
- utilizationPractical application of something
employment · mobilization · harnessing · channeling · systematization · proceduralization · activation · institutionalization · formalization · standardization
coercion
Pressured compliance through threats
- machinationCrafty scheming, often hostile
- schemingCrafty and calculating
- subversionUndermining established authority
conditioning · indoctrination · propaganda · leverage · maneuvering · calculating · gaming · engineering · orchestration · exploitation
tool
Device for a task
apparatus · device · channel · conduit · agent · proxy · intermediary · lever · method · modality
instrumentalizationhumanization
Attributing personal characteristics
dignification · cherishing · ethical treatment · personalization
instrumentalizationcaring
Showing kind concern
empowerment · reciprocity · collaboration · partnership · solidarity
instrument, instrumental, instrumentalist, instrumentality, instrumentation, instrumentally