Evolution is inherently racist?

Question

Could someone who believes this argument please explain your line of thinking? We're all homo sapiens, so if you say that evolution is racist, doesn't that make the claim that you think some races are less developed than others?

I've seen this as one of the main arguments creationists give on why Darwin is a big fat poopy-head^_^

Answer 1

"Evolution" is a discussion of the adaptation and development of species and sub-species in respect to their environments. "Better," "worse," "advanced" and "primitive" actually are quite meaningless in this discussion. Similarly, "race" has utterly no significance except as an expression of certain features of environmental adaptation.

However, since this concept was first articulated by Charles Darwin in his book, "The Origin of Species," people have had terrible debates about its validity and meaning. Oddly enough, a great many people who absolutely deny the validity of evolution, mainly religious people, have also been among those persons who adopted its terms in a distorted concept called "social Darwinism," which has been used to support and promote racism.

Most people today who say evolutionary theory is racist are attempting to smear the concept rather than deal with it. And some of these people are terrible religious bigots.

Answer 2

Be careful. You're asking for people who think "Darwin is a big fat poopy-head" to explain Darwinism ... as such, they are likely to explain it wrong!

For example, note the number of times that anti-Darwinists bring up the question "why are there still monkeys?" These are people who don't understand how evolution works *at all*, who provide a ridiculous misinterpretation of it, and then say "therefore evolution is ridiculous." They have read this question in some web site, and think they are being profoundly clever, when in fact they are demonstrating precisely the opposite ... deep, profound ignorance.

As for your question, it is only people who misinterpret or misunderstand Darwinism and evolution (either deliberately or through ignorance) who will draw racist conclusions from it.

And it is only intellectual midgets (and closet racists) who will draw incorrect racist conclusions, and then conclude that evolution must therefore be rejected because it is racist.

Answer 3

I think people try to make this argument because they are misunderstandin the "survival of the fittest" theory of evolution presented by Charles Darwin. I guess some people think that because other races of different skin colors or physical/mental charateristics are living and functioning differently then they think that evolution is racist. I think that is completely untrue because evolution, like any other natural process, favors those that are more capable or better adapted to their environment or hardships they encounter. The fact that Africa is being decimated right now and will probably revert back to the wilderness in the next century isn't racism, its just cold and calculated reasoning. White people could become extinct any day if there was a disease that attacked only white people. Same with black people or Indian people or asian people. Evolution is evolution and you can't control it and you can't fight it. You can only flow along with it.

Answer 4

This has to be, beyond a doubt, one of the stupidest arguments It's been my misfortune to read in a LONG time.
I mean I knew the religious right could commit Pious Fraud to try to undermine the facts of Evolution, but to sink this low is disgusting even for them.
The FACT is, there is ONE race; the human race. Homo Sapiens Sapiens. The only factor that separates us to any real importance, is blood and tissue type. If I am in need of blood that is type A rh + then I can get it from someone who is white, black, asian, hispanic... the list goes on and on.
Evolution is NOT racist. Far from it, it clearly shows that we are ALL from the same root stock.

Answer 5

Evolution is just a theory (I believe in evolution...I'm just stating it's a theory and not a religious belief so :P). Evolution is no more biased than say gravity. Gravity doesn't hate fat people ;).

However, there are minor differences between the races. This is adaption via microevolution to the environment. A black man has black skin because of the hot weather/closeness to equator, white people adapted to a colder/less sunny environment, etc. Minor stuff to make the body better suited to the environment.

Finally, I find it interesting that people are more willing to believe that the racial differences is due to the Tower of Babel (and the consequences) than evolution.

Answer 6

Evolution is not inherently racist. A man named Spencer made some incorrect statements regarding evolution, which were later interpreted as racist. Specer coined the phase, 'Survival of the fittest'. A phase that Darwin rejected because it incorrectly describes the evolutionary process.

No credible scientist today supports these ideas. In scientific terms, there is one species of human. Race is not a biological distinction. It is purely a social distinction.

Answer 7

If you believe in evolution/natural selection, you believe all humaniod life originated in Africa. These early homo species were dark-skinned, most likely to address extreme UV exposure. As groups moved north and east, they gradually lost the deep coloration, since it no longer provided an advantage (less sun). Those who stayed in africa, or similarly equatorial regions, retained more pigment than those who moved away from the equator.

This is not racist. It simply implies a positive trait for one geographical region is less positive in another. In Europe, it was more important to be hearty than dark, due to colder weather and less sun. So those who were hearty were more likely to reproduce than those who were dark.

If Africa/Arabia had continued their scientific and cultural advancement, and successfully defended themselves against Greek and Roman rule, this area of the world may have been the dominant society. Then caucasians might have been thought of as a "devolved" race. Wouldn't that have been a hoot?!?!

Answer 8

It seems like nobody who believes that is able to give you a valid explaination. People who believe this obviously have no idea what the theory of evolution is since it has NOTHING to do with race. Different races aren't different species from each other!!! It's social darwinism and its a bunch of bs.

Answer 9

The concept of race has no real biological justification.

People only make the claim to try and discredit evolution by intellectually dishonest means. They don't mean that evolution is racist, they are implying that evolutionists are racists without making the absurd statement directly.

Answer 10

Personally, I believe that evolution is a bunch of BULL. God created all men equal. It is humans who have turned against each other. I hate racism and I wish it would go away, but it never will. And it is not just about white people being racist to black people. As a black person, I have seen my share of racism against me. But I did a project on racism, and I found that it is everywhere. Things like BET and Black Miss America are racist against white people. Imagine the uproar that would come from making a WET or White Miss America. Everyone just needs to treat each other like humans. Unfortunately, I think that racism will always exist on this earth.