A short summary of Kant's theory of racism, in bullet point form, where he argues that all racial groups are descended from an original “stem species,” which began in one part of the world.
KANT’S RACE THEORY
Difference btwn Kant’s approach on race
- in early 1770s and early 1780s
- And the late 1780s
Kant abandons racial hierarchies and moral characteristics of race in the late
1780s
⮩ Focusing more on the morals of different nations
Debates on Kant’s Racism
- Racist or
- He is simply adopting a Eurocentric point of view of his time
Change in perspective could also be bc of the changing time (modern standpoint)
- Bc of his cosmopolitanism
KANT’S CONCEPT OF RACE
Describes man as a whole
- Does not focus on their physiology (outer characteristics/horizontal classification)
bc it only shows their natural differences
Main notion of incentive for the distinction between races
⤷ Before 1772-1173
- Human races are developed due to certain predispositions and from
certain germs
- Rooted in nature
⤷ VA- Collins 1772-1773
- No vertical classification
⤷ Of the different Human Races 1780
White
⮩ Assumes the white race to be the perfect race
⮩ Bc of the climate they lives in
Negro
⮩ Has no real character
Hunnish
Hinduish
, ⤷ Anthropology from Pragmatic point of view late 1780s
Human character = unyielding adherence to principles
Able to follow the principles
Srong, active sensibility
⮡ Allows us to make a choise and to control our feelings of pleasure
and displeasure
Weak and passive sentimentality
⮡ Are affected by feelings and the feelings of others
⮡ Against our will
⮡ Negro = no real character
Unable to control emotions and to make choices acc. To
principles
He differentiates btwn the ability and inability to take/learn
certain action
Believes the negro race is unable to develop a character
and to make independent judgement
⤷ Menschenkunde 1781-1782
Uses the notion of incentives
1. American
No culture
No incentives = bc affect influence (can’t be influenced) and
passion are absent
They are not fertile bc they are not in love
They do not care for anything, not even each other
They are lazy
2. Negro
Full of affect and passion, talkative and vain
Have a culture = only culture of slaves = they allow themselves
to be trained
Have incentives and are sensitive, afraid and do things out of
honour
3. Hindu
Have incentives
Have composure and look like philosophers
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