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@xandrachurch@mas.to Thats a topic I've discussed many times. It was racist times no doubt, many of them were very strong supporters of abolition though and spent much of their career fighting for it. Others very much supported and encouraged slavery. views were also fairly backwards back then.
Its important to view it within the context of the time and some of the subtle details that are easy to overlook.
With that said its just not that simple
@icedquinn yea thats true too. obviously sometimes we have examples of real pseudo-science bias, but we also have plenty examples as you describe where some difference along racial or sex lines is assumed to be bias and not possibly intrinsic. In reality the truth is rarely ever at an ideological extreme.
@freemo @xandrachurch@mas.to I can imagine of such a scenario, say, 1000 or 8000 years later(if humans haven't went to extinction )when humans are living together with other Intelligent animals whose ancestors were treated badly by humans but somehow have gained equal rights as human beings at last. If that is the case, maybe all humans living today would be considered by as "human superemists" according to the moral standard at that time. Well maybe it's improper to use animals as an example, but what I am trying to say is that unless you believe that the current developing stage of human society marks the end of history and the close of moral progress, then it's inevitable that some parts of our once-generally-agreed opinions would be considered unacceptable by the future.
Yes i agree and often consider that in a similar way, but without the animals being sentient, but really just a future world of vegans (I am not vegan by the way but recognize the moral considerations of being one).. They could look at us as monsters for eating meat, and within their societies moral framework we would be.
@xandrachurch@mas.to
@xandrachurch@mas.to In fact I'd say you will have a very hard time finding anyone from that time period anywhere who didnt have some messed up views on race, even if they were pro-abolition (as many founding fathers were).
the best you could probably do is find someone who has some nice philosophies where you just dont know a damn thing about their opinions on race or know of it very minimally at best. Things that are clearly racist today back then could be seen as science and as almost undeniable truth even for the best of meaning people and it clouded a lot of opinions in a way that may appear racist even if the individually generally cared about and wanted to uplift minorities.