Oldal 94 [94]
not start recently, but when one tribe strayed into the hunting
grounds of another. They found themselves faced with strangers
who were different from them. They were obviously surprised, a
little amazed, and then they struck. And maybe not even in that
order.
Then suddenly a multitude of aliens formed around the same.
Is it not ironic? They all have different skin color, different hair,
different habits, different language, different social structure, etc.
But then, who is the other? The different. These were called races,
and on top of that they also used this unclear term to denote what
we call species.
Let us take a closer look. The concept of race was introduced
by François Bernier (1620 - 1688) at the end of the 17th century, but
it became known and codified in the middle of the 18th century.
Differences between races became more and more differentiated,
especially as differences in values became more and more apparent
in conflicts both big and small.
The question inevitably arises: why the 18th century? After all,
the great geographical discoveries, when Europeans encountered
people in distant places, took place much earlier. Yes, distant
peoples were obviously known before, but philosophical—more
precisely, cultural-philosophical—reflection is still a product of
the 18th century. Until then, non-Europeans were simply looked
down upon or not counted. They were good slaves, objects that
could talk. This did not change for a long time, but when sciences
such as comparative religion or comparative linguistics were born,
it was out of a desire to understand them. (A German, Max Müller,
founded the Institute of Comparative Religious Studies at Oxford
in the late 19th century.) At this time philosophy also added to
this process, no less than in the person of Immanuel Kant, among
others. Kant best expresses what the travels and discoveries meant