Did you Know Darwin claimed that women and black people were less evolved?

Question

This was the guy that started the theory of evolution. Probably a racist and a sexist.

Answer 1

It is not only true, but clearly stated in his book "On the Origin of the Species, or the Preservation of Favoured Races in the Struggle for LIfe"

Answer 2

His personal views have nothing to do with his science. So he was a racist and a sexist. Maybe he went out of his way to step on bugs. Never replaced the empty toilet paper roll. Do these things make evolution any less true? If Darwin hadn't written about it, someone else eventually would have, because it's the truth. Darwin didn't "start" the theory; he discovered it. That means it was already out there, just waiting for someone to notice. Saying nasty things about Darwin doesn't change that.

Answer 3

No Jordan I didn't know that! But it would not surprise me if it was true. However it has to be accepted that his theory of evolution has merit. Despite the fact that it has caused an upheaval in the social and education system you have to admit that despite his faults he was right about evolution.
His big problem was his lack of faith in God! He did not give God the credit for His divine works in evolution. Darwin neglected to say that evolution is part of God's work and just because biblical scholars claimed that the earth is just a mere six or seven thousands years old; that doesn't mean they were right! What it means is that those scholars are just as blind as the Catholic Church was with Galileo!
Millions of Christians are very intelligent about our Gods work and someone racist or not, misogynist or not, is not going to persuade the man or woman of Christ otherwise. Nor will the man incur wrath from a true Christian.
We let God take of that Himself.

Answer 4

No he didn't. Darwin actually said very little about the origins of humanity - he was more focused on discovering natural selection, survival of the fittest, and such. He worked with animals - mostly birds in the Galapagos Islands.

Decades after Darwin's death some crackpot scientists started coming up with what is called "social Darwinism" which states that differences in the socio-economic status of various ethnic groups is due to some ethnic groups being more "fit" and some being less "fit" (or "evolved" if you will).

Darwin himself never made any claims of this sort. Other people used his discoveries to draw racist conclusions long after he was dead.

Answer 5

Are you aware that the bible is also. The bible commands slaves to obey their masters, and for women to stay silent in the churches. Can't remember where to find the slave command, but Paul wrote the command for women in First Corinthians chapter 14.

So what? It is historical fact that women and blacks were held back thousands of years, but did not the equal rights movement of the sixties do any good?

I know we can still improve, but aren't we better off now than even 50 years ago in that area?

I admit we are far from the colorblind society Martin Luther King invisioned, but we are closer than ever before, we just need to keep working toward that goal.

It is historical fact that the Christian religion held women back many years.The Racist Slave owners of the South used bible scripture to justify their enslavement of their fellow man.

Are you aware of these cold hard facts?


By your question it seems you are trying to make Darwin and athiests responsible for racism and women not having rights. I am not athiest or a hard core Darwin beleiver. I am Wiccan and I have faith in diety. My religion is more friendly to women and different ethinic groups than some mainstream religions.

Answer 6

So did everyone around him at that period of time. The guy went along with the masses. Just because in a period of time people had bad and wrong ideas doesn't mean everything they discovered is also wrong. The Romans put Christians to death in the Colliseum before they switched. Does that mean we shouldn't build Roads and Aqueducts or sewer systems? A guy can believe what everyone around him was telling him since he grew up, and though he would be just as wrong as the rest of them he can have a bright idea we have since had mounting evidence supporting his discovery without supporting the rest.

Answer 7

Virtually all Englishmen in Darwin's time viewed blacks as culturally and intellectually inferior to Europeans. Some men of that time (such as Louis Agassiz, a staunch creationist) went so far as to say they were a different species. Charles Darwin was a product of his times and no doubt viewed non-Europeans as inferior in ways, but he was far more liberal than most: He vehemently opposed slavery (Darwin 1913, especially chap. 21), and he contributed to missionary work to better the condition of the native Tierra del Fuegans. He treated people of all races with compassion.

The mention of "favoured races" in the subtitle of Origin of Species merely refers to variations within species which survive to leave more offspring. It does not imply racism.

The views of Darwin, or of any person, are irrelevant to the fact of evolution. Evolution is based on evidence, not on people's opinions.

References:
Darwin, Charles. 1913. Voyage Round the World of H.M.S. Beagle, 11th ed. London, John Murray. http://pages.britishlibrary.net/charles.darwin/texts/beagle_voyage/beagle21.html

Further Reading:
Britian, Troy. n.d. Darwin on race and slavery. http://home.att.net/~troybritain/articles/darwin_on_race.htm

Answer 8

Superiority complexes are just one human abberation that stems from inferiority complexes. We all get pushed
around and made to feel like we can't do anything
right. Some people feel sorry for themselves. And
most of us become self-righteous over it. Always making a Big Deal out of others peoples faults.
What else is new?

Answer 9

Men have taught that all through (his)tory, not just Darwin. You see, men get a little unsettled, to think that women are just as evolved, and just as smart as they are. Especially Religious men. They like thier two headed MaleGod, and being Supreme.

Answer 10

He didn't start it; he refined ideas already in place and backed them up with natural observation.

So what if he thought blacks and women were less evolved? So did Lincoln. It was common thought at the time by many people. We know better now.

Thank goodness we evolved.

.

Answer 11

did you know Darwin was a christian who was very troubled for most of his life trying to reconcile his scientific findings with his religious beliefs and that he delayed the publishing of his book on evolution because he knew how much trouble it would cause