Sketch of the Progress of the Human Mind

The writings of Marquis De Condorcet were very interesting to me, because I felt that they were ahead of their time. Condorcet was a spokesmen for the Enlightenment and had a lot to say about the subject, including what he thought the future would be like. In the Ninth Epoch, he quotes, "The advances of scientific knowledge are all the more deadly to these errors because they destroy them without appearing to attack them, while lavishing on those who stubbornly defend them the degrading taunt of ignorance. Finally this progress of scientific knowledge results in a belief that not birth, professional status, or social standing gives anyone the right to judge something he does not understand" (757). I highly admire Condorcet because he believed in the destruction of the inequality between the sexes. His  way of thinking was not normal for many men of the time. He believed that actual scientific facts could overtake some of the strict beliefs of religion and prove that no one had the right to judge someone based off the Bible. He also cared a lot about preserving our resources. He states, " a smaller piece of land will be able to produce commodities of greater usefulness and value then before; greater benefits will be obtained with less waste" (757).  If I had to compare Condorcet to a relatable person today in a high power position, it would have to be Bernie Sanders. It seems that they have very similar views. They both want what is best for the world. They care about destroying sexism, keeping the environment safe and thought that the war helps no one.  I would actually like to learn more about Condorcet. He seemed like a very open-minded individual who believed the world could immensely improve with science.

A part of  chapter 15 that is discussed in depth is the conversion and adaption in Spanish America. What we learn in this section was that Europeans were ruthless in their quest to eliminate the presence of any local religions. "They destroyed religious images and ritual objects, publicly urinated on native "idols, desecrated the remains of ancestors, flogged "idolaters," and held religious trails and "processions of shame" aimed at humiliating offenders". "The bishop of Mexico proudly claimed that he destroyed 500 pagan shrines and 20,000 idols" (729). Though some people were willing to convert, others found no benefit in it. For example, many women felt that they did not have a role anymore in the religious aspect of their life. Women who were once priestess, shamans, or ritual specialists, had no place in a Catholic church, which of course was led by an all-male clergy. Also, because of the destruction that came along with the European idea of an elusive religious truth, there came an aggressive resistance from many natives. Guaman Poma de Ayala, a Peruvian nobleman commented on the native women's opinions toward Christianity. He quotes, "They do not confess; they do not attend catechism classes… nor do they go to mass… And resuming their ancient customs and idolatry, they do not want to serve God or the crown" (729). I just can not imagine being forced into something that I have no desire in doing. These women literally had religious positions where they were in charge and in power. However, now men rule the clergy and everything becomes violent. One of my favorite parts to read was about the Taki Onqoy or the "dancing sickness". This was considered a religious revivalist movement by the natives where traveling dancers and teachers, possessed by the spirits of local gods, predicted that an alliance of Andean deities would soon overcome the Christian God and inflict Europeans with the same diseases that they brought to the Americans, and restore the word of the Andes to an imagined earlier harmony.

The Great Dying

As we discussed in class, one of the big issues that comes along with the topic of "The Great Dying" is the question of was this mass spread of disease that killed up to 90% of Native Americans considered a genocide. Let us first start with the definition of genocide. A genocide, is " the deliberate killing of a large group of people, especially those of a particular ethnic group or nation". Now when I first saw this I automatically believed that, yes, this should be considered a genocide. The Europeans came onto this land that was inhibited by an already existing population, gave them diseases, and wiped out almost all of their people. However, I then noticed the word "deliberate" and I was not so sure of my answer anymore. I honestly do not believe that the Europeans deliberately tried to give their diseases to the Native Americans. I can not imagine that they sat around and discussed the ways they could kill off a whole population of people. So, if I am going strictly based off the definition of genocide, I would say "The Great Dying" was not a genocide. Yet, the Europeans are not saints in this situation. They knew they had a great advantage over the natives of the land. They were immune to these diseases, such as smallpox, which the native people were not. They had superior weapons and animals and they believed in manifest destiny. The Governor Bradford of Plymouth colony, believed "such conditions represented the "good hand of God" at work, "sweeping away great multitudes of the natives… that he might make room for us" (623-624). So though this mass killing might not have been an intentional genocide, it was certainly not a tragedy that they tried to stop.

First Post

I think you went to Ashburn, Ontario.