You can be ABSOLUTELY sure.
He was arguing FOR extermination? You are the expert, but the earlier
quote sounded like Russell was arguing against extermination. (It was
the bit about inferiority of Blacks that I suspect was "current
thinking" 70 years ago.)
Kossovo didn't qualify?
(As he walks out the door for Texas.)
"Linda M. Woolf" wrote:
>
> Shalom Y'All!
>
> "John W. Nichols, M.A." wrote:
>
> > Russell's statement (based on the pub date you showed) is at least 70
> > years old. Was what he said inconsistent with what was known (or at
> > least thought) in those days? He is to be condemned and dismissed in
> > toto, because he did not know what we know today?
>
> I'm very sure that you don't mean to imply that the 1903 genocide of the Hereros
> is somehow excusable as they did not know what we know today. I'm sure that you
> don't mean to imply that the 1915 genocide of almost 2 million Armenians is
> acceptable as it was simply a different time in history. I can't imagine that
> you meant to imply that we should hold a different standard of evaluation to the
> Soviet-created famine that resulted in millions dead simply because it occurred
> 70 years ago. I am definitely sure you did not mean to imply anything about the
> Holocaust.
>
> Bertrand Russell was discussing genocide and using the vulgar term
> "extermination; a term often used by perpetrators when discussing the genocide of
> a people perceived as "vermin". I do not believe we can easily dismiss his
> comments due to some form of historical relativism. Indeed, while eugenics was
> in its heyday at that time (particularly in the United States), the vast amount
> of literature on this topic dealt with sterilization, selective breeding, or
> immigration policies. It was not normative to argue in favor of genocide; this
> was not viewed as acceptable at the time.
>
> I should add that in today's current climate, genocide is also viewed as an
> atrocity. However, it continues to occur as I write this e-mail (e.g. the ethnic
> cleansing of the Shan and Karen in Burma/Myanmar).
>
> Warm regards,
>
> linda
> --
> linda m. woolf, ph.d.
> associate professor - psychology
> webster university
>
> main webpage: http://www.webster.edu/~woolflm/
> Holocaust and genocide studies pages:
> http://www.webster.edu/~woolflm/holocaust.html
> womens' pages: http://www.webster.edu/~woolflm/women.html
> gerontology pages: http://www.webster.edu/~woolflm/gero.html
>
> mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
--
----------==========>>>>>>>>>> ��� <<<<<<<<<<==========----------
John W. Nichols, M.A.
Assistant Professor of Psychology & Computer Science
Tulsa Community College
909 S. Boston Ave., Tulsa, OK 74119
(918) 595-7134
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Home: http://www.tulsa.oklahoma.net/~jnichols/home.html
MegaPsych: http://www.tulsa.oklahoma.net/~jnichols/megapsych.html
