With scientific advances today , I found this article a bit far fetched and felt like I read a piece of fictional literature. Also, I'm not sure when the article was published, but it's information is certainly outdated. The closest relation to humans is actually the bonobo, a type of chimpanzee in Africa. Bonobos have very high sex-drives and have probably done more things than humans could come up with. Is this intelligence/creativity? Hmmm....
Something that really troubled me concerning this article was the comparison of Africans to apes and the assumption that Africans came from Caucasians mating with apes... what was going on in the 18th century? Looking back on that kind of information now, we all see the err in thinking that, but I'm sure then it seemed pretty valid to much of Europe (and whomever else was thinking it). The comment of the voyager who said Africans resembled the apes makes me think he didn't have anything better to report from his trip. Hmm Africans are shaped like me, but they have dark skin... apes are dark, they must be related! I'm sure Africans of the 18th century were not quadrupeds, they were erect bipeds like every other human, so the connection of Africans to apes strikes me as odd when the clear first assumption is to connect African to European. There must have been many similarities that should have struck the voyager to say "You know, these Africans, they're a lot like us!" Both wear clothing, both speak, both eat in similar ways, hunt, farm, live in dwellings, I just don't understand the logic (or lack thereof) in that situation.
Though I feel that the study of skulls and pelvises was pointless in determining a "dominant" race, the information gathered, whatever it resembled, must have been... biased?... without the inclusion of enough female data. I don't understand why the "scientists" would have deliberately left women out of the research, even denying female assistance in studying specimens.
Monday, February 11, 2008
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