Page 218 - Kavur, Boris. Devet esejev o (skoraj) človeški podobi. Založba Univerze na Primorskem, Koper 2014.
P. 218
devet esejev o (skoraj) človeški podobi
ety which was considered being untouched by civilisatory constraints, gave
its way to archaism which idealized real, but mostly imaginary groups of di-
stant predecessors. And if primitivism presented savages as the opposition to
perverted modernity, depicted them as the aspiration towards the rejection of
restraints of modern society – their moral purity was not a consequence of a
kind of perversion but of a degree of unspoiledness, the archaism profoundly
changed the conception and perception of distant societies.
Enlightenment was born in Europe as a philosophical movement which
tried to cast of the burden of ideas and institutions which plunged in previous
centuries Europe in to a series of bloody conflicts – it tried to present a new
vision of human possibilities. Contrary to previous periods when the state of
humanity was labeled by the original sin, proponents of enlightenment saw
mankind as capable of improvement. Rationalism and empirism dictated the
restoration of new systems of non-theological education. A new vision of the
world was formed, a vision where advocates supported concepts of universal
mankind (Wolf 1999, 23–24).
But soon the introduction of evolutionary paradigm presented the nat-
ural environment as dangerous, outer pressures became the driving gear for
survival of our heroes (White 1972, 25). And since the tradition from antiqui-
ty taught that barbarism is a prelude to civilization, the unitary stages of civi-
lization, following process of adaptation and changes, became the basic pre-
sumptions of enlightenment. At the same time developed ideology
demonstrated the cultural and ethical superiority of economically superior
countries – with humanistic arguments it supported the maintenance of ine-
quality of mankind which was the main legitimization of the colonial system.
The 19th century brought also a change in the study of human communities.
A period, focusing on anatomical and cultural variability interrupted the tra-
dition of enlightenment when the universal development of human societies
was observed and when philosophers such as John Locke, Adam Ferguson
and Henry Home, lord Kames, focused on differences only to be able to in-
stall the communities in to a succession of cultural development (Jones 1997,
41). For numerous, mostly scientist, the idea of evolution became a metaphys-
ical background presenting also a cultural message – a primary note about the
development towards an advanced state and indirectly about the gender roles
and positions of political doctrines. The explanation was so suitable that there
was no need for its examination.
Through the 19th and 20th century the use of phylogenetic reconstructi-
ons for description of human relations in social and political spheres media-
ted a conceptual base of western racial and racist classifications. It was used
218
ety which was considered being untouched by civilisatory constraints, gave
its way to archaism which idealized real, but mostly imaginary groups of di-
stant predecessors. And if primitivism presented savages as the opposition to
perverted modernity, depicted them as the aspiration towards the rejection of
restraints of modern society – their moral purity was not a consequence of a
kind of perversion but of a degree of unspoiledness, the archaism profoundly
changed the conception and perception of distant societies.
Enlightenment was born in Europe as a philosophical movement which
tried to cast of the burden of ideas and institutions which plunged in previous
centuries Europe in to a series of bloody conflicts – it tried to present a new
vision of human possibilities. Contrary to previous periods when the state of
humanity was labeled by the original sin, proponents of enlightenment saw
mankind as capable of improvement. Rationalism and empirism dictated the
restoration of new systems of non-theological education. A new vision of the
world was formed, a vision where advocates supported concepts of universal
mankind (Wolf 1999, 23–24).
But soon the introduction of evolutionary paradigm presented the nat-
ural environment as dangerous, outer pressures became the driving gear for
survival of our heroes (White 1972, 25). And since the tradition from antiqui-
ty taught that barbarism is a prelude to civilization, the unitary stages of civi-
lization, following process of adaptation and changes, became the basic pre-
sumptions of enlightenment. At the same time developed ideology
demonstrated the cultural and ethical superiority of economically superior
countries – with humanistic arguments it supported the maintenance of ine-
quality of mankind which was the main legitimization of the colonial system.
The 19th century brought also a change in the study of human communities.
A period, focusing on anatomical and cultural variability interrupted the tra-
dition of enlightenment when the universal development of human societies
was observed and when philosophers such as John Locke, Adam Ferguson
and Henry Home, lord Kames, focused on differences only to be able to in-
stall the communities in to a succession of cultural development (Jones 1997,
41). For numerous, mostly scientist, the idea of evolution became a metaphys-
ical background presenting also a cultural message – a primary note about the
development towards an advanced state and indirectly about the gender roles
and positions of political doctrines. The explanation was so suitable that there
was no need for its examination.
Through the 19th and 20th century the use of phylogenetic reconstructi-
ons for description of human relations in social and political spheres media-
ted a conceptual base of western racial and racist classifications. It was used
218
