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To: PetroniusMaximus
***even though Darwin never advocated anything remotely resembling Nazi policies;***

The ideas are implicit in his though. Man is an animal. Only the stong and well suited survive. Hitler thought his race was the superior race. etc.

No, that's not implicit. Evolution only "cares" about adaptation, and an organism can adapt by cooperating with other individuals or other species as well as by "struggling" against them. Sure, agonistic strategies are often produced by evolution, but so are cooperative ones. And "struggle" is not a good in and of itself as the Nazis thought. It is only adaptive or maladaptive ("good" or "bad") in the context of some specific environment.

Again, the Nazis appealed to a cartoon version of evolution. If you engage in guilt by association at that low level, then any doctrine is vulnerable; including Christianity, cartoon versions of which are practiced by racist groups TODAY (not 60 years ago) by groups such as the Christian Identity sects.

400 posted on 10/17/2005 8:34:59 AM PDT by Stultis
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To: Stultis

Darwin recognized the moral implications of his theory. If man is an animal then anything goes and the stronges will decide what is moral or immoral...

"Darwin neatly summed up his view of ethics and morality in his Autobiography, stating that one who does not believe in God or an afterlife-as he did not-"can have for his rule of life, as far as I can see, only to follow those impulses and instincts which are the strongest or which seem to him the best one."

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/140397201X/103-6006591-6925412?v=glance&n=283155&n=507846&s=books&v=glance


403 posted on 10/17/2005 8:42:24 AM PDT by PetroniusMaximus
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To: Stultis
Again, the Nazis appealed to a cartoon version of evolution. If you engage in guilt by association at that low level, then any doctrine is vulnerable; including Christianity, cartoon versions of which are practiced by racist groups TODAY (not 60 years ago) by groups such as the Christian Identity sects.

And not only that but this whole Nazi shtick (my race is better than your race) is only microevolution even according to creationist standards.

457 posted on 10/17/2005 2:14:38 PM PDT by BMCDA (Whereof we cannot speak, thereof we must be silent. -- L. Wittgenstein)
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