![]() This issue is also important for explaining the popularity of this approach to the study of races. Moreover, this ideology was necessary for demonstrating that European powers brought the benefits of civilization to the colonized territories. In turn, scientific racism was necessary for showing that European countries had a right to act in this way. People living in these territories could be reduced to subhuman status. This ideology helped policy-makers justify the colonization of various countries. It is possible to argue that the principles of scientific racism were quite consistent with the policy of imperialism, which was adopted by many European countries in the nineteenth century. These activities were largely based on the misapplication of scientific methods. One should bear in mind that in the nineteenth century, many anthropologists attempted to show that non-European races were at the earlier stage of evolution. Thus, one can say that even people like Galton, who significantly contributed to science, could easily accept racist stereotypes. These opinions can be explained by the lack of knowledge about culture, history, and economic difficulties that could be encountered by former slaves who were removed from the United States back to Africa. Moreover, in his opinion, they were not capable of acting independently. In order to justify these arguments, Galton referred to such a country as Liberia because this example allegedly showed that black people had not been self-sufficient. This is another aspect that he focused on. In his opinion, they could not “sustain the burden of any respectable form of civilization” (Galton 4). His arguments are partly based on the premise that black people were not able to create governmental institutions. Additionally, he believed that Africa had to be settled by Chinese people. This is one of the flaws that can be identified. Nevertheless, he did not mention any tools which could be used to measure these attributes of a person or a group of people. Like many other people, he emphasized the inferiority of black people. Moreover, Galton laid stress on the material culture as one of the criteria according to which the worth of a race should be evaluated. Yet, he also paid attention to such characteristics as self-sufficiency and self-control. This is one of the details that can be identified.įrancis Galton also focused on intelligence as one of the possible measures. Therefore, one should not suppose that Charles Darwin was willing to justify the atrocities committed by colonizers or slave-holders by using the principles of evolutionary theory. More importantly, in this opinion, “men of all nations and races” merited compassion (Darwin 103). Moreover, according to this thinker, “races did not necessarily form one singe, monogenist ascending series” more likely, they were intertwined (Heller 87). Moreover, this thinker fully recognized the repugnance of slavery. Nevertheless, it is critical to remember that Darwin recognized the cruelty of European settlers. ![]() These are some of the main aspects that can be distinguished. Moreover, those people, who acted as evaluators, were usually biased against non-European people, especially those who came from Africa. The main problem that he overlooked is that in the nineteenth century, there were no valid tools for measuring the intellectual capacity of a person. ![]() Admittedly, he recognized the idea that the differences in intellectual abilities existed within races and not only between races. In his view, Europeans were generally superior to superior to non-European people. It should be noted that Darwin focused on the intellectual abilities of an individual while evaluating the worth of races. These are the main arguments that can be put forward. Much attention should also be paid to the values of the desire to belong to the group, which is allegedly superior to others. Moreover, this interpretation of race was quite consistent with the policies of colonialism and imperialism. Overall, it is possible to say that the ideas of these people were largely based on the misuse of scientific methods and lack of anthropological knowledge. In particular, one should speak about the belief that some races were more advanced.
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