Atheism in Five Minutes - Teemu Taira
31. What Is the Historical Relationship Between Atheism and Racism?
Atheism in Five Minutes - Teemu Taira
Nathan G. Alexander [+]
Independent Scholar
Nathan G. Alexander is a writer and historian from Canada. He is the author of Race in a Godless World: Atheism, Race, and Civilization, 1850-1914 (NYU Press/Manchester University Press, 2019).
Description
This chapter examines whether secularization had an impact on the rise of racism since about 1500. It explores different approaches to this question and arguments from both sides. One can point, for example, to things like Christian anti-Semitism and justifications for slavery. But one can also point to the development of secular scientific racism which divided humanity into a hierarchy of distinct racial groups. The article concludes by suggesting that neither Christianity nor atheism are inherently racist or antiracist.