[FRIAM] darwin

[thompnickson2 at gmail.com]

That’s a wonderful story, Eric.  I did not know that.  Nick

 

Nicholas Thompson

Emeritus Professor of Ethology and Psychology

Clark University

 <mailto:ThompNickSon2 at gmail.com> ThompNickSon2 at gmail.com

 <https://wordpress.clarku.edu/nthompson/> https://wordpress.clarku.edu/nthompson/

 

 

From: Friam <friam-bounces at redfish.com> On Behalf Of David Eric Smith
Sent: Saturday, September 26, 2020 11:35 AM
To: The Friday Morning Applied Complexity Coffee Group <friam at redfish.com>
Subject: Re: [FRIAM] darwin

 

There is also a passage in one of the books, off one of the coasts of S. America, when Darwin is in a small boat, which a few locals, and at least one slave in some capacity (maybe not boat driver; maybe going with the group to do something; I forget).  Somebody (either Darwin or one of the others) gestures at something, maybe swatting a fly or exclaiming about something, but in any case, the hands move toward the slave, who immediately drops his arms and goes slack, expecting to be struck and concerned above all to not appear as if he is resisting.  Although I forget all the lead-up, I think I remember Darwin’s response to the moment, which was to be struck with the greatest force he had ever experienced on the topic, what a degrading institution slavery is, to condition a man not to stand up for his own protection from assault.





On Sep 26, 2020, at 12:51 PM, <thompnickson2 at gmail.com <mailto:thompnickson2 at gmail.com> > <thompnickson2 at gmail.com <mailto:thompnickson2 at gmail.com> > wrote:

 

I wonder how he accommodated that to the Fuegian whom they took back to England, taught him to be a Perfect English Gentleman, and them dumped him back on the Terra in his double-breasted suit to civilize his relatives.   I don’t know about “woke” and “presentist”, but it’s; true, the Victorians have a lot to answer for.  

 

In this passage, if I remember, the Fuegian (Jemmy Button?) was quite happy when he went back.  On a visit a year later (?), when the English saw him on one of the bluffs and went over, he did come to talk to them.  I believe I remember his saying life is good, they have “plenty fruits” etc.  It is odd that, when people aren’t aware they should be appalled at the overall set of a situation, and therefore talk about it in matter-of-fact terms, some of the details of recognizable human complexity get into the record.

 

I forget ever reading a similar revisit of what happened to the girl they took (Fuegia Basket?).

 

Eric 

 

 

 

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