When Darwinism Came to Africa, Horrors Ensued

Intelligent Design the Future

Discovery Institute's Center for Science and Culture

Science, Philosophy, Astronomy, Society & Culture, Life Sciences

4 • 993 Ratings

🗓️ 27 February 2023

⏱️ 11 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

On today’s ID the Future, hear a Nigerian voice-actor reading from the opening pages of Nigerian scholar Olufemi Oluniyi’s new book, Darwin Comes to Africa. In this section from the preface, Oluniyi explores the relationship of Darwinism to Social Darwinism, and some of the ways Social Darwinism fueled and justified horrific ideas and actions among European thinkers and colonizers. Oluniyi tells the story of Russian scientist Ilya Ivanovich Ivanov, who, guided by Social Darwinist thinking, “sought to produce a race of super-soldiers for Stalin’s army by impregnating French Guinea women with the sperm of a dead chimpanzee—black African women, mind you, who were presumed to be less highly evolved and thus closer to chimpanzees than were white European women.” As Oluniyi Read More ›

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0:00.0	I. Charles Darwin fathered not just a scientific theory, but a toxic social ideology
0:17.2	that fueled racist colonial policies in Africa. That's the message of the new book
0:22.4	Darwin Comes to Africa.
0:25.0	This is John West, Vice President of Discovery Institute.
0:28.3	In this episode of ID the Future, we're going to hear an excerpt from the preface to Darwin Comes to Africa, explaining what the book is about and why it was written.
0:37.0	Darwin Comes to Africa was authored by Dr. Olufimi Olunai.
0:41.0	Dr. Olunai was a Nigerian college professor, scholar, minister, journalist, and
0:46.8	activist. He was executive director of the Center for Values and Social
0:50.8	Change in Lagos, Nigeria.
0:53.4	He previously served as Dean for Academic Affairs at West Africa Theological Seminary and his
0:58.9	editorial board chair for Nigeria's National Mirror Newspapers.
1:03.0	A Queen's Cross scholar at the University of Aberdeen,
1:06.0	Dr. Ohunai earned a PhD focused on public theology
1:10.0	and advocacy journalism.
1:12.0	Dr. Olinai finished a complete draft of his book in 2021, but he died shortly thereafter from
1:18.4	COVID-19.
1:20.3	He was a valued friend, and it was a privilege to help shepherd his manuscript to publication.
1:26.0	Listen now to an excerpt from the preface to Darwin Comes to Africa by Dr. Olufimi Olunai.
1:33.0	Social Darwinism is a rickety notion,
1:37.0	rich in assumptions but destitute of facts.
1:41.0	It reminds me of a Mandinka proverb wildly recognized in Africa which says,
1:47.0	an empty bag cannot stand. It is however resourceful.
	...

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