EBook For Slavery and Race Philosophical Debates in the Eighteenth Century 1st Edition

EBook For Slavery and Race Philosophical Debates in the Eighteenth Century 1st Edition

In the 1700s, millions of Africans were forced into slavery and taken to the Americas. Many Europeans, who thought of themselves as enlightened, supported and helped carry out the slave trade. This terrible event deeply affected philosophy, but historians have often ignored the topics of slavery and race in philosophy. Some writers, including enslaved and freed Black people, used philosophy to fight for the end of slavery, understand racist ideas, and challenge unfair beliefs about race. On the other hand, some tried to defend slavery using philosophical arguments.

Slavery and Race: Philosophical Debates in the Eighteenth Century looks at these ideas and arguments, focusing on how race was connected to the idea of slavery. Author Julia Jorati shows how closely Blackness and slavery were tied together during this time, and how many White people believed Black people were meant to be slaves. Along with famous philosophers like David Hume, Immanuel Kant, and Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Jorati also talks about lesser-known thinkers like Quobna Ottobah Cugoano, Lemuel Haynes, and Olympe de Gouges. This book is important for understanding the history of philosophy, especially the debates about slavery in Europe and North America.