Page 594 - Atlas of Creation Volume 3

Despite its having no scientific basis whatsoever, Simpson's superstitious view was adopted by certain

circles for ideological reasons. In defending the theory of evolution's unscientific claims in their writings,
books, and speeches, other scientists of the time also supported racism. An article titled "The Evolution of
Human Races," by Henry Fairfield Osborn, president of the American Museum of Natural History and a

prominent racist and evolutionist anthropologist of the early 20th century, made comparisons between
races and came up with a number of deductions totally lacking any scientific evidence:

The standard of intelligence of the average adult Negro is similar to that of the eleven-year-old youth of the
species Homo sapiens. 43

As can be seen from such statements, most 19th- and 20th-century evolutionist scientists were racists
who ignored the dangers posed by their twisted views. About the destructive effects of their so-called "sci-
entific" racism, the American scientist James Ferguson has this to say:

In 19th-century Europe the concept of race was a preoccupation for the growing human sciences... These first

physical anthropologists helped to develop the concept of Aryan supremacy, which later fueled the institution-
al racism of Germany in the 1930s, and of South Africa today. 44

In an article about the racist views of evolutionist anthropologists, the late evolutionist Stephen Jay
Gould says the following:

We cannot understand much of the history of late 19th and early 20th century anthropology… unless we ap-
preciate its obsession with the identification and ranking of races. 45

Once the theory of evolution acquired an alleged scientific validity, scientists were able to speak with-

out hesitation of such illusory concepts as "inferior" races and some races being more closely related to
apes than to human beings. Despotic dictators such as Hitler recognized such claims as a golden opportu-
nity and killed millions of people because they were "inferior," "inadequate," "flawed" or "sick." One of the
main reasons why almost all 19th century evolutionists were racists is that their intellectual forerunner,
Darwin, himself held such views.

Darwin, Too, Was a Racist

The great majority of present-day evolutionists say that unlike their 19th century counterparts, they are
opposed to racism, and seek to free Darwin of racist imputations. Most writings about Darwin make great
efforts to give the impression that he was compassionate, well intentioned, and opposed to slavery. The
fact is, however, that Darwin believed that the theory of natural selection constituted a scientific justifica-

tion for racial discrimination and conflict between races. Darwin's books, some of his letters, and his pri-
vate notes contain openly racist expressions. For example, in The Descent of Man, Darwin claimed that cer-
tain races, such as blacks and Aborigines, were inferior and that in due course, they would be eliminated
and disappear in the struggle for survival:

At some future period not very distant as measured by centuries, the civilised races of man will almost certainly

exterminate, and replace the savage races throughout the world. At the same time the anthropomorphous
apes… will no doubt be exterminated. The break between man and his nearest allies will then be wider, for it
will intervene between man in a more civilised state, as we may hope, even than the Caucasian, and some ape
as low as the baboon, instead of as now between the negro or Australian and the gorilla. 46

In those words Darwin equated certain races with primates and predicted that "civilized races of man"

would eliminate "savage races" from the face of the Earth. In other words, Darwin was foreseeing geno-
cide, a racial ethnic cleansing to take place in the near future. Indeed, Darwin's disastrous "predictions" ac-
tually did come about, and 20th-century racists saw the theory of evolution as offering them support to
perpetrate terrible slaughter. Examples include the Nazis' murder of some 40 million people during the
World War II, the South African government's apartheid system affording European races immense privi-

leges over others, racist attacks against Turks and other foreigners in Europe, racial discrimination against

592 Atlas of Creation Vol. 3