Short Answer Week 1 Flashcards
Hume and Nietzsche had two different views about slavery. Explain them?
Hume was in favor of slavery as he believed in a hierarchy of human races. It was okay for Blacks to be slaves because he believed they were naturally inferior to whites since it was impossible to educate the Black away.
Nietzsche defended slavery. He was also very disapproving of Blacks and nonwhites yet somehow he was positive about Jews a non-white race.
What reasons do we have to explain why the study of race began at the beginning of the modern era (17th century)?
Around this time race was being developed by intellectual thinkers. Francois Bernier was the first to divide humankind into races in the 17th century. The criteria was base on their physical traits such as: hair type, skin color, and body shape.
Provide two of Kant’s views on race?
He believed in nonwhite inferiority. He also believed that physical traits were constant over generations in different environments.
Why might we think that Hume’s views on race were important, although it was only in a single footnote?
His views on race are important because they support his theory of mind through the statement that Blacks only had certain cognitive abilities. Because of this he belived Blacks could not progress. Referring to the Jamaican man example as he was compared to a parrot with limited active reasoning.
Why did Hume think that Blacks were inferior and provide one response, by others, to his view?
Hume believed that blacks were inferior because they were incapable of active reasoning. Silvia Sebastani’s response to Hume’s view held that if whites were born into slavery they would too lack knowledge.
