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Charles Darwin and the abolition of slavery
Posted on 7/5/14 at 12:13 pm
Posted on 7/5/14 at 12:13 pm
I cam across this blog post LINKthat summarizes Darwin's Sacred Cause, a book and topic I had never heard of. I'm sure the book is great, but the blog post itself illuminated much of Darwin's forgotten motivation for his research. This part, in particular, was fascinating:
quote:
In short, when Darwin began his Notebooks on the origin of species it appeared that the racial debates were going to be won by the polygenist camp, with the help of science. The only arguments in favor of "common descent" were from the bible. But the bible was no longer credible in the Age of Science. Appeals to a mythical Adam and Eve were just not persuasive to scientists waving tables of hard data on cranial measurements. Polygenesis was scientific and empirical. Monogenesis was superstitious and mythical.
quote:
The Origin was published during a time when scientific racism was on the rise and Origin was the work that decisively demolished polygenist thinking in favor of "common descent."
1
Posted on 7/5/14 at 12:25 pm to TK421
An aside. I was watching an animal planet show about zoos. They were taking a tour of the St. Louis zoo if memory serves. The guide said "And this is our main feature...a tortoise brought to American by Charles Darwin".
Host: "You mean a descendent of that tortoise?"
Guide: "No, this exact tortoise was brought over by Darwin. He's 150 years old."
I was blown away.
Host: "You mean a descendent of that tortoise?"
Guide: "No, this exact tortoise was brought over by Darwin. He's 150 years old."
I was blown away.
Posted on 7/5/14 at 12:44 pm to Zach
That's actually pretty cool. 
I thought this topic would be more interesting to people on this board. I suppose a successful thread on the poliboard has to contain a big shiny piece of troll bait in the OP.
I thought this topic would be more interesting to people on this board. I suppose a successful thread on the poliboard has to contain a big shiny piece of troll bait in the OP.
Posted on 7/5/14 at 1:03 pm to Zach
quote:
Guide: "No, this exact tortoise was brought over by Darwin. He's 150 years old."
That's pretty damned cool
Posted on 7/5/14 at 1:06 pm to TK421
quote:
I thought this topic would be more interesting to people on this board. I suppose a successful thread on the poliboard has to contain a big shiny piece of troll bait in the OP.
Change your thread title to:
"Darwinism and Abolition: How Atheism Freed the Slaves"
You're welcome.
Posted on 7/5/14 at 1:07 pm to TK421
Maybe post something about the tortoise being gay and eating an American flag. 
Posted on 7/5/14 at 1:34 pm to FT
quote:
"Darwinism and Abolition: How Atheism Freed the Slaves"
I doubt that would be factually correct as virtually every single person in the abolitionist movement in the 1850s and 60s were devout Christians who used the Bible as a source for their beliefs and interpretations.
Posted on 7/5/14 at 4:54 pm to tysonslefthook
quote:
quote:
Guide: "No, this exact tortoise was brought over by Darwin. He's 150 years old."
That's pretty damned cool
What's even cooler is that it used to be a bullfrog when he brought it over...
Posted on 7/5/14 at 6:33 pm to RollTide1987
Darwin wasn't an atheist either.
This post was edited on 7/5/14 at 6:34 pm
Posted on 7/5/14 at 6:52 pm to Huck Finn
Posted on 7/5/14 at 7:11 pm to cwill
quote:
Darwin wasn't an atheist either.
No he wasn't. Good documentary about him on HBO, "Questioning Darwin".
Posted on 7/6/14 at 6:10 am to FT
Wow you're stupid
Posted on 7/6/14 at 8:11 am to FT
He died agnostic.
Posted on 7/6/14 at 8:33 am to TK421
quote:
I thought this topic would be more interesting to people on this board. I suppose a successful thread on the poliboard has to contain a big shiny piece of troll bait in the OP.
It's not divisive enough for folks on this board. I guess folks here don't care to discuss things as mundane as science.
Posted on 7/6/14 at 8:39 am to trackfan
quote:'Polygenism' (another horrible term) is candidly not indicative of Darwin's beliefs, Darwinism, or evolutionary theory. Zach's turtle post was interesting though.
It's not divisive enough for folks on this board.
Posted on 7/6/14 at 9:08 am to NC_Tigah
Polygenesis you mean? What's so horrible about it?
Posted on 7/6/14 at 9:26 am to Bayou Sam
No, polygenism. It's the idea that different human races have different origins. People used this idea to justify slavery.
Posted on 7/6/14 at 9:29 am to Hog on the Hill
Polygenesis and polygenism mean the same thing. Why's it a horrible term though? I don't get it.
Posted on 7/6/14 at 10:18 am to NC_Tigah
quote:
Polygenism' (another horrible term) is candidly not indicative of Darwin's beliefs, Darwinism, or evolutionary theory
That was the point of the post.
Posted on 7/6/14 at 10:40 am to TK421
Exactly
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