Beattie Vs David Hume

This essay discusses theories of racial differences put forth by James Beattie, Immanuel Kant, and Josiah Nott. Each of them addressed the issue of whether or not people of African descent were on the same level of development as other ethnic groups. Scientific Racism is a theory that explains the difference between races. In the context of Scientific Racism, James Beattie presented the best argument in support of black equality. In An Essay on the Nature and Immutability of Truth [1771], James Beattie opposed to David Hume’s theory on black inferiority to white. Hume stated that“The negros, and in general, all the other species of men, to be naturally inferior to whites.” He claims that there is no other civilized nation of other complexion than white. Hume implies that without white people there wouldn’t be art, science of any other form of civilizations. James Beattie thought …show more content…
He rejects true knowledge of the indigenous African people by following the work of David Hume. When it comes to culture, it is quite asinine for an individual of science and research to make claims to something one never studied. Kant wrote in his essay Observations on the Feeling of the Beautiful and Subline [1764] that:“So fundamental is the difference between these two races of men, and it appears to as great in regard to mental capacities as in color.” This quote says that based on the color of a person’s skin, reveals a man mental capacity. In my opinion, this statement is asinine, different civilization learn and comprehend in their culture’s realm. Different civilizations have their own educational system. European people felt that their educational system was also inferior of other educational systems. The skills of the civilizations helped them survived in their region where they reside, so do we call a man dumb for not knowing how to survive in a region that he never been to or