Darwin's Deadly Legacy

[Scott]

Darwin\'s Deadly Legacy

Darwin's Deadly Legacy, a documentary by D. James Kennedy, is airing this weekend. Looks good.

[Edited on 8-25-2006 by Scott]

 

[Puritanhead]

From Darwin to Hitler: Evolutionary Ethics, Eugenics, and Racism in Germany by Richard Weikart.

As conservative Richard Weaver said, Ideas Have Consequences. Darwinism has consequences and implications too, particularly when a nation or is lead by avowed Darwinists.

 

[Scott]

Did anyone catch this? How was it?

 

[Devin]

Originally posted by Scott
Did anyone catch this? How was it?

I thought it was an interesting and enlightening show. It did a great job of showing how ideas have consequences. The first 30 minutes focused on this aspect.

The last 30 minutes were based primarily on how evolution doesn't fit with the real science.

One thing mentioned that I did not know was that one of the kids one commited murder at Columbine wore a shirt that said "Natural Selection".

 

[BobVigneault]

reductio ad Hitlerum

I haven't yet seen the program but I have listened to Tom DeRosa for the last two weeks on the Gary DeMar show. http://www.americanvision.org/radio/TGDS_2006.asp

My greatest concern is that the program seems to commit the logical fallacy of 'reductio ad Hitlerum', Hitler supported it therefore it is false. (Also a sideways violation of Godwin's Law (As an online discussion grows longer, the probability of a comparison involving Nazis or Hitler approaches one. )

The argument made in the program is correct, that Nazism is definately justified by (not a result of) evolutionary religion and Darwinist thinking - definitely a link from Darwin to Hegel to Hitler. However, I fear tha many will miss that subtlety because of the invocation of Hitler's name.

 

[ChristianTrader]

Bob,
Why do you say that Nazi is justified by and not a result of Darwinist thinking and evolutionary religion.

I would say that it was easily a result of.

CT

 

[BobVigneault]

Hermonta,
I believe that Hitler would have perpetrated the holocaust had he never heard of evolutionary theory. Hitler was evil and driven by evil. The Ninevites certainly didn't need Darwin to treat the Jews inhumanely. You may be right but all we can know for sure is that in Hegel's version of Darwinism and persversion of science Hitler found justification for his evil plans.

Hitler certainly drew conclusions about the dignity of man that Darwin never intended.

Racism in general is another abhoration that we can connect with Darwinism. But we have to ask again, was racism caused by Darwinism or do racists find justification in evolution.

[Edited on 9-1-2006 by BobVigneault]

 

[Puritanhead]

Originally posted by ChristianTrader
Bob,
Why do you say that Nazi is justified by and not a result of Darwinist thinking and evolutionary religion.

I would say that it was easily a result of.

CT

I think Hermonta is right here.

 

[Greg]

I saw part of the show. I enjoyed it.

I agree with a point that Bob brought up. I don't believe that what Hitler did was the result of the evolutionary world view. The evil that Hiltler propagated stemmed from the depavity that was already inherent within himself. Hitler simply embraced this particular worldview (as fitting as it was for what he did) as an attempt to justify his evil intentions. If evolution was nonexistent in Hitler's time, I'm sure he would have found another vehicle to advance his twisted agenda.