The Crisis of Humanistic Values and the Construction of the Non-Human in Attack on Titan

DOI

10.2991/978-2-38476-593-5_15How to use a DOI?

Keywords

Dehumanization; Humanistic values; Moral status; Moral exclusion; Ethical boundary; Cultural narrative

Abstract

This paper examines the ethical construction of the human and the non-human in situations of collective fear and violent conflict. Drawing on humanistic ethics and contemporary theories of dehumanization, the study analyzes how moral exclusion functions as a mechanism through which human subjects are symbolically transformed into non-human enemies. Particular attention is given to the instability of the moral boundary that defines who counts as human. Adopting a qualitative philosophical and interpretative approach, the analysis focuses on narrative structures and discursive mechanisms within contemporary popular culture. Using Attack on Titan as a case study, the paper demonstrates how the construction of the ‘demon’ destabilizes the ethical distinction between human and non-human. The argument suggests that the narrative exposes the fragility and constructed nature of the category of the human itself, reflecting a broader crisis of humanistic values and indicating that humanity must be understood as an ethical responsibility rather than a biological or national given.

Copyright

© 2026 The Author(s)

Open Access

Open Access This chapter is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits any noncommercial use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license and indicate if changes were made.

Download article (PDF)

TY  - CONF
AU  - Elizaveta Popovа
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/06/30
TI  - The Crisis of Humanistic Values and the Construction of the Non-Human in Attack on Titan
BT  - Proceedings of the 2026 5th International Conference on Humanities, Wisdom Education and Service Management (HWESM 2026)
PB  - Atlantis Press
SP  - 113
EP  - 121
SN  - 2352-5398
UR  - https://doi.org/10.2991/978-2-38476-593-5_15
DO  - 10.2991/978-2-38476-593-5_15
ID  - Popovа2026
ER  -