J.L. Cabell’s A Testimony of Modern Science to the Unity of Mankind and the Human Unity Debate
If there is any one ideal that we can say each individual in the world desires, it could very likely be equality. Over the ages, humans have been particularly interested in the equality between their fellow man. More specifically, man has been more curious about the concept of race and in finding a scientific validation for the noticeable difference between the races. As the field of science gained authority, the search for a scientific explanation for variations in mankind came to a head in the middle of the nineteenth century.
While it was very easy to classify the other forms of life on the planet by species, it was more difficult for humans. There were those who believed that all of humans came from the same, original creation and were, therefore, of the exact same species. On the other hand, there were many who advocated a multiple-creation theory that involved a separate origin for different types, or races, of man. A great debate raged between scientists from all around the world on this topic for much of the eighteen-forties and fifties. The human unity debate saw some of the most intriguing scientific dialogue the world had seen up to that day, and includes a great deal of discussion on the role, or non-role, of religion in scientific theory.
Of the many biologists, zoologists, physiologists, and many others to take part in this debate was professor of comparative biology and physiology at University of Virginia, James Lawrence Cabell. Born in 1813 to a large family of prominent doctors, Cabell attended the University of Virginia and attended classes in each of the Universit...
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...eliefs and truly question themselves. A nation should be proud to look back at its history, no matter how unfortunate, and be satisfied with the changes it has made for the better. While we have come far since the nineteenth century, no one can deny that many injustices still exist in the U.S. today. We should remember our past and how bravely and fiercely many have fought for equality for all, and maybe someday we could truly realize that ideal.
Works Cited
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2. Lurie, Edward. “Louis Agassiz and the Races of Man”. Isis, Vol. 45, No. 3 (Sep.,
1954), 227-242
3. Stanton, William. The Leopard’s Spots: Scientific Attitudes Toward Race in America
1815-59. The University of Chicago Press, Chicago. 1960
There are different viewpoints on the question “what is the universe made of?” I think that both science and religion offer their own explanation to this topic and they sometimes overlap, which creates contradictions. Therefore, I do not agree with Stephen Jay Gould’s non-overlapping magisterial, which claims that there is a fine line separating science from religion. That being said, I think the conflict between science and religion is only in the study of evolution. It is possible for a scientist to be religious if he is not studying evolution, because science is very broad and it has various studies. In this essay, I will talk about the conflict between religion and science by comparing the arguments from Stephen Jay Gould and Richard Dawkins. I argue that science and religion do overlap but only in some area concerning evolution and the cosmic design. Furthermore, when these overlaps are present it means that there are conflicts and one must choose between science and religion.
Reginald Horsman’s Race and Manifest Destiny: The Orgins of American Racial Anglo-Saxonism explores the evidence and reasons of racial prejudices in America and discusses one of the most controversial topics in American history. The book also navigates the subjects of white superiority, and the creation of Anglo-Saxonism.
Omi, Michael, and Howard Winant. "Racial Formation in the United States." 1994. The Idea of
Norton, Mary Beth et al. A People and a Nation: A History of the United States. New
Norton, M. B. (2012). A people & a nation: A history of the United States.
There have been various theories of the creation of the universe and mankind, each drawing back to either religion or science, or a combination of both. Charles Darwin’s The Descent of Man and the Genesis accounts are often seen as personifications of two opposing views of our universe. Charles Darwin is a representation of evolution; the development of species through a lengthy process of natural selection. On the contrary, Genesis is a representation of creation by the Bible; God’s creation of both mankind and the Earth around them. Even though the accounts are inherently opposing and each claim to possess an indisputable explanation of the universe, they contain the following similarities; both portray the human image inappropriately and both indirectly rely on the opposing belief.
“Differentiated races are fixed either by nature or God. You cannot escape your racial classification (Weidman, 2006).” This is the fifth basic belief of ideology and instantly establishes a basis on why race has survived in the twentieth century. There will always be scientists, philosophers, doctors and historians examining the origins and the continuation of race. By examining their research we are able understand this color line and how it has impacted the twentieth century.
After Sir Charles Darwin had introduced his original theory about the origins of species and evolution, humanity’s faith in God that remained undisputed for hundreds of years had reeled. The former unity fractured into the evolutionists, who believed that life as we see it today had developed from smaller and more primitive organisms, and creationists, who kept believing that life in all its diversity was created by a higher entity. Each side introduced substantial arguments to support their claims, but at the same time the counter-arguments of each opponent are also credible. Therefore, the debates between the evolutionists and the creationists seem to be far from ending. And though their arguments are completely opposite, they can co-exist or even complement each other.
Marks, Jonathan. “Great Chain of Being.” In Encyclopedia of Race and Racism, ed. John H.
Ian McGreal: Great Thinkers of the Western World. New York, Harper Collins Co., 1992. Pg. 81-86.
Rust, Peter. 1992. How Has Life and Its Diversity Been Produced? Perspectives on Science and Christian Faith 44 (2): 80-94.
Tucker, W. H. (2009). The Cattell controversy: Race, science, and ideology. Urbana: University of Illinois Press.
“Simple things which the other animals easily learn, he is incapable of learning” (Twain). Mark Twain’s essay over “The Dammed Human Race” is full of satire when he describes humans and their behaviors. In his piece, he compares humans and their lack of morals against animals who exhibit stronger morals. Mark provides several examples in the form of tests to back up his theory. In doing so, he denounces the Darwin theory and comes up with what he believes is more suitable, the Descent of Man from the Higher Animals. Mark comes to the conclusion that humans are the least evolved and should remain at the bottom of the species list rather than the top. Although Mark conveys false credibility, speculative generalizations, and a somewhat critical satire, his essay is indeed successful.
In order to say that humanity is a cohesive species there needs to be more tying it together then simply biology. There needs to be a common core among the species as a whole. This common core defines the way that the species behaves, what motivates them, how they feel, and their characteristics. This commonality among humans is known as human nature. Throughout this paper I will discuss what human nature is, what it means to go against human nature, and whether a common human nature actually exists.
...hough many were opposed to the thought, I admire his approach as well as Barbour’s Integration and Dialogue models. Though neither science nor religion contain any absolute truths of our origins, I still believe that the use of both is very helpful in settling our inquiring minds about why everything around us exists, for now. It is still curious to me that neither can assess our questions sufficiently, however by persisting and expanding our endeavors in science and understanding religious scriptures, I do believe that with time, we will come closer and closer to having an even more holistic and individual understanding of our origins. Though I believe that science and religion are both separate forms of thought, as a human, I find it more appropriate to use science to understand the universe’s complexity and use religion to have morality and ethics in why I exist.