Violence Originates from the Denial of Others: A Deep Dive into Its Roots

Original article: La violencia empieza con la negación del otro By José Alegría Morán, Academic, Dept. of Applied Ethics – Catholic University of Temuco Typically, when we discuss violence, we envision forceful acts that inflict harm on another person, such as insults, blows, or humiliation. In this light, public discussions often focus on how to contain harmful acts and protect potential victims.

However, reflections on the root causes of violence and the conditions that allow such harmful behaviors to emerge are seldom considered. We rarely question whether violence only manifests when there is an evident diminishment of the other or if it can also be silent, imperceptible, and routine. We spend little time trying to understand what drives a young person to enter their school and take the life of a staff member, leaving students and others severely injured.

Or what goes through the minds of those who forcibly restrain a minister, then “accompany” her exit with insults and blows. These represent different expressions of violence, yet they share a common factor. The issue lies not in the harm inflicted but in what enables such harm to occur.

To harm another, the first requirement is that the other ceases to exist as a subject. Violence can only be exerted upon someone who has been previously objectified. The victim becomes a means for the perpetrator, part of a journey towards a perceived higher objective.

They have no history, name, or face. Violence is not only about hurting someone; it fundamentally involves stripping them of their status as a person and reducing them to an object. This shift creates the conditions for explicit harm to occur, or at least leaves it as a latent possibility.

I cannot be violent towards someone I love and respect; I can only objectify that which I see as an object. Therefore, endless debates about increased security, harsher punishments, or broader powers for law enforcement will rarely change the violence landscape. Without addressing its root causes, we only manage its consequences.

The challenge is different and requires us to work promptly on the conviction that others matter and that their pain matters. It is not enough to teach tolerance, which barely manages the tension of differences; it is necessary to teach alterity, a perspective where the other exists fully and cannot be displaced. Only a community that recognizes and respects itself is capable of confronting violence, giving meaning to relationships, establishing shared goals, and maintaining mutual respect.

In a time marked by violence in Chilean educational settings and global conflicts, investing in acknowledgment, care, and encounter is not naïve but an essential requirement for projecting a shared future.