From Chapter 5 of Descent of Man,
With savages, the weak in body or mind are soon eliminated; and those that survive commonly exhibit a vigorous state of health. We civilised men, on the other hand, do our utmost to check the process of elimination; we build asylums for the imbecile, the maimed, and the sick; we institute poor-laws; and our medical men exert their utmost skill to save the life of every one to the last moment. There is reason to believe that vaccination has preserved thousands, who from a weak constitution would formerly have succumbed to small-pox. Thus the weak members of civilised societies propagate their kind. No one who has attended to the breeding of domestic animals will doubt that this must be highly injurious to the race of man. It is surprising how soon a want of care, or care wrongly directed, leads to the degeneration of a domestic race; but excepting in the case of man himself, hardly any one is so ignorant as to allow his worst animals to breed.
First off, Darwin was wrong, medically. Many “savages” who were in principle in sound health died over the millennia because basic information about what to do in an emergency or prevent a recurrent problem was lacking in many places.
Put another way, no one is born a doctor or paramedic, trained on sound scientific principles. It took centuries to build up the disciplines. They are likely a major contributor to longevity.
Thus, the introduction of lifesaving technologies (often by Christian mission hospitals) saved many people worldwide who were not at all “weak in body or mind” but simply the victims of a misfortune.
Now that we have got past that, is anyone at all prepared to address this ongoing scandal?:
Another push for a national Darwin Day (by people who claim to oppose racism!)
They can believe in Darwinism, if they must. But could they please just shut all that Darwin Day stuff down? Retire it quietly, maybe, but retire it. Don’t let it come up again.
See also: Darwin and modern racism
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