Metaphorical thinking goes in both directions. Not only do we apply dis­ gust metaphors to morally devalued peoples, but we tend to morally devalue people who are physically disgusting (a phenomenon we encountered in chap­ ter 4 when considering Lynn Hunt’s theory that a rise in hygiene in Europe caused a decline in cruel punishments). At one pole of the continuum, white­ clad ascetics who undergo rituals of purification are revered as holy men and women. At the other, people living in degradation and filth are reviled as subhuman.

Steven Pinker, The better angels of our nature: Why violence has declined, New York, 2011, p. 353