Η εξέλιξη του ρατσισμού : Οι ανθρώπινες διαφορές και η χρήση και κατάχρηση της επιστήμης

by Pat Shipman, Αγγέλα Βερυκοκάκη (Translator)

Από τον καιρό που ο Κάρολος Δαρβίνος πρωτοέγραψε για την "προέλευση του ανθρώπου", οι διαφορές ανάμεσα στις ανθρώπινες φυλές υπήρξαν το αντικείμενο της πιο επίμονης διαμάχης σχετικά με την "καταγωγή του είδους". Η εξελικτική θεωρία χρησιμοποιήθηκε και διαστρεβλώθηκε, τόσο από τους ρατσιστές, όσο και από τους αντιρατσιστές, ως επιστημονική δικαιολογία ή πνευματικό όπλο. Γύρω απ' αυτό που ο Δαρβίνος ονόμαζε "αξία των διαφορών" μεταξύ των ανθρώπων οικοδομήθηκαν ή κατέρρευσαν σταδιοδρομίες, κηρύχθηκαν πόλεμοι, αφιερώθηκαν ή θυσιάστηκαν ζωές.
Η Εξέλιξη του Ρατσισμού είναι η ιστορία τόσο της εξελικτικής θεωρίας, όσο και των ιδεών σχετικά με τη φυλή και το ρατσισμό. Σε ένα πνευματικά γοητευτικό αφήγημα, που συνδυάζει την επιστήμη με την ιστορία, τις θεωρίες με τις προσωπικότητες, η Πατ Σίπμαν εξηγεί την αρχική διαμάχη για την εξέλιξη την εποχή του Δαρβίνου, τη διαφθορά της εξελικτικής θεωρίας όταν στράφηκε στην ευγονική, τη σύγκρουση ανάμεσα στην εργαστηριακή έρευνα πάνω στη γενετική και στην εργασία σε πραγματικές συνθήκες της φυσικής ανθρωπολογίας και της βιολογίας -η οποία προκάλεσε τη "νέα σύνθεση" της σύγχρονης εξελικτικής βιολογίας, που με τη σειρά της έριξε νέο φως στην παλαιότατη συζήτηση για την επίδραση της φύσης και της ανατροφής- και τις συνεχιζόμενες διαμάχες για την κληρονομικότητα της ευφυΐας, της εγκληματικής συμπεριφοράς και άλλων χαρακτηριστικών.
Η Εξέλιξη του Ρατσισμού είναι μια προσγειωμένη και προσεκτική επιστημονική εργασία που εξετάζει τα πιο δύσκολα ερωτήματα για τις ανθρώπινες διαφορές.

Genres: Science, History, Anthropology, Nonfiction, Social Science

500 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1994

About the author

Pat Shipman is a professor of anthropology at Penn State University. Coauthor of the award-winning The Ape in the Tree, she writes for American Scientist and lives in Moncure, North Carolina.

Reviews

[NtMagpie · Rating 5 out of 5]

An absolutely amazing book on how Evolution has been used as a tool to justify racism. Well and engagingly written, it was one of the 2 nonfiction books that I devoured cover to cover in college (as opposed to skimming through just to pass a test).

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is an in depth discussion of evolution, specifically how it has been used and misused by people to justify their ideas concerning race. It begins with Darwin's "The Origin of the Species" and continues to the present with the identification of genetic markers. I wanted to read this book to refresh in my mind Social Darwinism was/is, to reacquaint myself with arguments regarding eugenics, and to acquaint myself with advances in physical anthropology and genetics. I also thought the historical material would be apropos given the current political climate regarding immigration, #blacklivesmatter, and Islamophobia. This book satisfies my 2016 Reading Challenge "read a nonfiction book about science". (

[Konstantinos Sapardanis · Rating 3 out of 5]

too garrulous for my liking

[Brett · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a book that takes a very long time to get around to its point, and when it does finally reach it, doesn't seem to know what it actually wishes to say.

The first half or even two thirds of the book is a recounting of Darwin's struggle around publishing On the Origin of Species, including his interactions with Wallace and how scientific credit was portioned out. We then are presented with a recounting of Huxley's popularization of evolution and some of the more infamous public clashes with opponents of the then-new theory. None of this is presented badly, but it feels like a very long preamble. If you've read much about Darwin, most of this is pretty familiar. If this is your main area of interest, there are good Darwin biographies, including Browne's great two volume biography.

To me, the book's best section is the discussion of how the theory was seen in Germany and the strange politics that became associated with both proponents and opponents. Virulent anti-Semitism long predated Darwin in Germany, but these theories were able to be marshaled in support of eugenic ideas that ultimately came to be an intellectual undergird to the holocaust.

Most of the last third of the book is dedicated fleshing out disputes that happened mainly in academic journals and conferences. There is very little discussion of larger political misuse of Darwin's ideas, which seems like it should have been fertile ground. Instead we end up with a small bore discussion of exactly what topics academics should study and some tsk tsking at those who urge caution at sharing certain scientific results that may be misappropriated by racists to suggest that one race or another has genetic predilections toward crime or higher or lower intelligence, etc.

When all was said and done, I'm not sure whether I agree or not with Shipman's conclusions on academic research, but I certainly felt like we had not really discussed the heart of the matter, the inappropriateness of social Darwinism and continued impact of eugenic ideas that repackage racism in a pseudo-scientific wrapper.

[Marios Mitrakis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Το βιβλίο είναι αυτό που λέει. Η εξέλιξη της ιδέας του ρατσισμού. Πως και γιατί υπάρχει αλλά και γιατί θα συνεχίσει να υπάρχει για πάντα. Αριστουργηματική γραφή.

[Erica · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book starts with the beginning process and publication of The Origin of Species by Charles Darwin. It takes the reader on a colorful and insightful ride of the distortion and abuse of the Evolution of Man that was used to justify racism with "scientific evidence".

[Stephanie Otte · Rating 1 out of 5]

:P. I really wasn't sure AT ALL what the author's point was