Posted: Feb 17, 2015 2:26 am
Could it possibly be that Jayjay misunderstands? There is no doubt [nor should there be] that the European colonial powers [including Britain] in their ambitions for Empires, caused death, disease and untold misery to the people's around the world, and they achieved it via economic, scientific and technological power [particularly weapons] that would cause revulsion and horror to any human being who reads such horrid histories and the revolting and wholesale nature of these atrocities!
To call such wholesale evil activities as "social- darwinism" however, compounds this tragedy. Because those who believe Darwin or science was responsible for such horrors will not learn the lessons of history. Belief in racial superiority was a part of this colonial process. Reformists of all types, scientific, intellectual and religious [especially the Quakers] helped break down this evil system of slavery and degradation.
Darwin was certainly a child of racist times, in a racist society. Yet Darwin rejected the common beliefs of his era-not only scientific ones, but some cultural and social ones. Any one with a little brains and humanity can recognize greed as bad, especially greed that "justified" treating non-Europeans as much less than human.
Darwin's scientific observations of the similarity between humans and other apes was part of this reformist process, because by blurring the distinction between humans and apes undermined the theological and racist assumption that non-Europeans were distinct, and more lowly species. Darwin argued that any differences in people were cultural [technological, social etc] rather than biological, which blew the theological "Great Chain of Being" bullshit right out of the water, thus undermining the "justification" to enslave and abuse other peoples.
In this light, Darwin was not only a first class scientist, but also an important fighter against the grave injustices and cruelties of his day.
To call such wholesale evil activities as "social- darwinism" however, compounds this tragedy. Because those who believe Darwin or science was responsible for such horrors will not learn the lessons of history. Belief in racial superiority was a part of this colonial process. Reformists of all types, scientific, intellectual and religious [especially the Quakers] helped break down this evil system of slavery and degradation.
Darwin was certainly a child of racist times, in a racist society. Yet Darwin rejected the common beliefs of his era-not only scientific ones, but some cultural and social ones. Any one with a little brains and humanity can recognize greed as bad, especially greed that "justified" treating non-Europeans as much less than human.
Darwin's scientific observations of the similarity between humans and other apes was part of this reformist process, because by blurring the distinction between humans and apes undermined the theological and racist assumption that non-Europeans were distinct, and more lowly species. Darwin argued that any differences in people were cultural [technological, social etc] rather than biological, which blew the theological "Great Chain of Being" bullshit right out of the water, thus undermining the "justification" to enslave and abuse other peoples.
In this light, Darwin was not only a first class scientist, but also an important fighter against the grave injustices and cruelties of his day.