JS 211
1/18/18
A History of Scientific Racism
Where does the idea of racism come from?
Mein Kampf
o
What ideas about race do you see Hitler formulating?
o
A parallel we see is the comparison of humans and animals
o
That implies races=species
He criticizes Pacifism: surrendering to nature, weakness.
o
Associates it with Jews
o
Leads to the destruction of civilizations
Nazis were influenced by looking at race laws of America
How does someone who comes out of WW1 in a liberal country write this?
o
Civilizations rise and fall bc races mix
Genius as a hereditary thing. Not developed. It’s the Aryan race only.
o
Not all races can create an advanced culture the way the Aryan race
The Aryan race to Hitler was German speaking Europe before it was divided
into other countries.
Nazism isn’t just fascist. So was Italy. What separates it is its racism. It’s
unique profile and defining character. It’s
Scientific racism:
o
Gives Nazism defining stamp
o
Derived internal qualities from external differences
o
Part of Enlightenment drive for systematic scientific inquiry
This is an intellectual revolution in Europe and America based
on men understanding the world they live in through rational
inquiry and using mans intellect. To understand the way the
world was created. This conflicts with religion.
These enlightenment scientists wanted to categorize and
classify plants and animals and see how evolution comes into
that, too.
How can we classify mankind?
These questions of race come about in the 18
th
because
encounters with other places and peoples. Imperialism has a
play. They asked why white people are more civilized? This
