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Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 644
Elite Member
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In Descent of Man[/i], chapter two one reads Malthus has discussed these several checks, but he does not lay stress enough on what is probably the most important of all, namely infanticide, especially of female infants and the habit of procuring abortion. One gets a fuller picture by reading the whole chapter, which I consider to be [i]Darwinism in a nutshell. In this single chapter, Darwin explains the alleged benefits of infanticide/abortion eugenics/racism, and at least some forms of Social Darwinism. I read your entire post and was tempted to reply to every scintilla of worthless baloney that you spilled onto the paper. However, when I reached this particular piece of tripe, I knew that everything else paled in comparison. I left the link in place so that those who wish to check what I am saying will be able to look at it for themselves. First I will put your quote in context by providing the surrounding text. Notwithstanding that savages appear to be less prolific than civilised people, they would no doubt rapidly increase if their numbers were not by some means rigidly kept down. The Santali, or hill-tribes of India, have recently afforded a good illustration of this fact; for, as shewn by Mr. Hunter,* they have increased at an extraordinary rate since vaccination has been introduced, other pestilences mitigated, and war sternly repressed. This increase, however, would not have been possible had not these rude people spread into the adjoining districts, and worked for hire. Savages almost always marry; yet there is some prudential restraint, for they do not commonly marry at the earliest possible age. The young men are often required to shew that they can support a wife; and they generally have first to earn the price with which to purchase her from her parents. With savages the difficulty of obtaining subsistence occasionally limits their number in a much more direct manner than with civilised people, for all tribes periodically suffer from severe famines. At such times savages are forced to devour much bad food, and their health can hardly fail to be injured. Many accounts have been published of their protruding stomachs and emaciated limbs after and during famines. They are then, also, compelled to wander much, and, as I was assured in Australia, their infants perish in large numbers. As famines are periodical, depending chiefly on extreme seasons, all tribes must fluctuate in number. They cannot steadily and regularly increase, as there is no artificial increase in the supply of food. Savages, when hard pressed, encroach on each other's territories, and war is the result; but they are indeed almost always at war with their neighbours. They are liable to many accidents on land and water in their search for food; and in some countries they suffer much from the larger beasts of prey. Even in India, districts have been depopulated by the ravages of tigers. * The Animals of Rural Bengal, by W. W. Hunter, 1868, p. 259. ***CTD's quotemine***Malthus has discussed these several checks, but he does not lay stress enough on what is probably the most important of all, namely infanticide, especially of female infants and the habit of procuring abortion.****end CTD's quotemine***. These practices now prevail in many quarters of the world; and infanticide seems formerly to have prevailed, as Mr. M'Lennan* has shewn on a still more extensive scale. These practices appear to have originated in savages recognising the difficulty, or rather the impossibility of supporting all the infants that are born. Licentiousness may also be added to the foregoing checks; but this does not follow from failing means of subsistence; though there is reason to believe that in some cases (as in Japan) it has been intentionally encouraged as a means of keeping down the population. * Primitive Marriage, 1865. If we look back to an extremely remote epoch, before man had arrived at the dignity of manhood, he would have been guided more by instinct and less by reason than are the lowest savages at the present time. Our early semi-human progenitors would not have practised infanticide or polyandry; for the instincts of the lower animals are never so [color:#CC6600]perverted as to lead them regularly to destroy their own offspring,[/color] or to be quite devoid of jealousy. There would have been no prudential restraint from marriage, and the sexes would have freely united at an early age. Hence the progenitors of man would have tended to increase rapidly; but checks of some kind, either periodical or constant, must have kept down their numbers, even more severely than with existing savages. What the precise nature of these checks were, we cannot say, any more than with most other animals. We know that horses and cattle, which are not extremely prolific animals, when first turned loose in South America, increased at an enormous rate. The elephant, the slowest breeder of all known animals, would in a few thousand years stock the whole world. The increase of every species of monkey must be checked by some means; but not, as Brehm remarks, by the attacks of beasts of prey. No one will assume that the actual power of reproduction in the wild horses and cattle of America, was at first in any sensible degree increased; or that, as each district became fully stocked, this same power was diminished. No doubt, in this case, and in all others, many checks concur, and different checks under different circumstances; periodical dearths, depending on unfavourable seasons, being probably the most important of all. So it will have been with the early progenitors of man. The quote that you used is describing practices of previous civilizations and some civilizations of his time. He was definitely NOT putting it forth as admirable. In fact he later writes that this practice is "perverted". Now, why would he call it perverted if he was advocating the practice. Not only did you malign Darwin with your quotemine but you did it is such a transparent manner as to assure it would be uncovered by anyone with the ability to read. At this point I can't determine if you are so deluded that you were blind to the context of your quote, you are so ignorant of the English language that you didn't understand the context, or you are so sure you have fooled the laypeople here that you took your foolishness to a new low. You have no problem producing obvious falsehoods to support your lame attacks at the theory of evolution and to insult and demean anyone who believes the theory is correct. You purposely misrepresent the posts of others. You delight in putting people down. You present youself as an authority in subject areas that you, quite obviously, know little about. I see no validity in your judgment of the state of my Christianity seeing as yours is in such tatters.
Last edited by LinearAq; 09/25/08 07:06 PM.
A faith that connot survive collision with the truth is not worth many regrets. -- Arthur C. Clarke
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