The plurality of the human racePouchet, G. (Georges)
Philosophy
The plurality of the human race
Pouchet, G. (Georges)
Monogenism and polygenism
Progress has been immense, and yet our systems remain very
unsatisfactory; the skull seems to escape every method of measurement.
Some time ago a meeting of craniologists took place at Gottingen, and
yet the learned assembly was obliged to separate without settling
anything.[333] It seems that the old saying of Bernard Palissy about
measuring some peculiar skull, will remain true in spite of all our
efforts: “I have never known how to obtain a correct measurement.”[334]
Another method is that of Morton, to which he has attached his name by
the multiplicity of facts which he has drawn, from it, by the justice
of the views which he has expressed, after having used it thousands
of times; we speak of the direct measurement of the interior capacity
of the skull. It is for ever to be regretted that Morton finished his
laborious career without having been able to publish the ultimate
results of his long researches; but this method (which M. Broca has
actively applied), is, however, not quite perfect. If there was merely
a difference among the different races in the amount of intellect
shown in their works, this measurement would be sufficient to establish
a division; but there is more than that; all races have different
aptitudes, and here is to be found the fault of Morton’s system, which
only takes the whole, which makes no distinction between very different
skulls if they have the same volume, like those of the Esquimaux, for
instance, and those of Americans. The subject of measurement differs,
like intellect, otherwise than merely in dimension, and that which
craniology wants is the definition of all these special tendencies of
the intellect by as many tangible varieties as possible.[335]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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