Pittard and “Race”: The Psychoanthropological Problem of Mediating Past and Present in Lens of Epistemic Growth

Abstract

During Pittard’s lifetime, Social Darwinism was a mainstream idea in science and there have been quite a few researchers that tried to scientifize racism. It is unsurprising that Pittard also uses the term race and regards it as a scientific term in a zoological manner, nonetheless, it is outstanding that he already critically reflects this term and rejects the idea of racial purism. Nonetheless, his works can be considered politically incorrect through today’s lenses and politically incorrect works are put into question as being legitimate study objects by cancel culture. The author of this paper, however, emphasizes that cancelling Pittard’s works simply because of the use of pseudo-scientific concepts such as race is rather problematic. He argues in two ways. First, he points out that Pittard’s interpretation of the word was already quite progressive for his times, while it is unfair to use today’s knowledge on racism to evaluate a historical source who could not have today’s knowledge, and second, cancelling politically incorrect works make the injustices of the past invisible. As such, cancel culture is counter-productive for epistemic growth. It ends a dialogue rather than beginning it making a critical engagement with its content impossible.