Physics and Politics, or, Thoughts on the application of the principles of "natural selection" and "inheritance" to political societyBagehot, Walter
Philosophy
Physics and Politics, or, Thoughts on the application of the principles of "natural selection" and "inheritance" to political society
Bagehot, Walter
Evolution; Nationalism; Political science
If we look at the earliest monuments of the human race, we find these
race-characters as decided as the race-characters now. The earliest
paintings or sculptures we anywhere have, give us the present contrasts
of dissimilar types as strongly as present observation. Within
historical memory no such differences have been created as those
between Negro and Greek, between Papuan and Red Indian, between
Esquimaux and Goth. We start with cardinal diversities; we trace only
minor modifications, and we only see minor modifications. And it is
very hard to see how any number of such modifications could change man
as he is in one race-type to man as he is in some other. Of this there
are but two explanations; ONE, that these great types were originally
separate creations, as they stand--that the Negro was made so, and the
Greek made so. But this easy hypothesis of special creation has been
tried so often, and has broken down so very often, that in no case,
probably, do any great number of careful inquirers very firmly believe
it. They may accept it provisionally, as the best hypothesis at
present, but they feel about it as they cannot help feeling as to an
army which has always been beaten; however strong it seems, they think
it will be beaten again. What the other explanation is exactly I cannot
pretend to say. Possibly as yet the data for a confident opinion are
not before us. But by far the most plausible suggestion is that of Mr.
Wallace, that these race-marks are living records of a time when the
intellect of man was not as able as it is now to adapt his life and
habits to change of region; that consequently early mortality in the
first wanderers was beyond conception great; that only those (so to
say) haphazard individuals throve who were born with a protected
nature--that is, a nature suited to the climate and the country, fitted
to use its advantages, shielded from its natural diseases. According to
Mr. Wallace, the Negro is the remnant of the one variety of man who
without more adaptiveness than then existed could live in Interior
Africa. Immigrants died off till they produced him or something like
him, and so of the Esquimaux or the American.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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