Advertisement
Advertisement
polygenesis
[ pol-ee-jen-uh-sis ]
noun
- origin from more than one ancestral species or line.
polygenesis
/ ˌpɒlɪdʒɪˈnɛtɪk; ˌpɒlɪˈdʒɛnɪsɪs /
noun
- biology evolution of a polyphyletic organism or group
- the hypothetical descent of the different races of man from different ultimate ancestors
Derived Forms
- ˌpolygeˈnetically, adverb
- polygenetic, adjective
Word History and Origins
Origin of polygenesis1
Example Sentences
And other commentators of the era believed that lice evolved through polygenesis, a pseudoscientific theory that posited that species originated from many different stocks — and that, when extended to humans, implies that people of different races did too.
He was a proponent of the theory of polygenesis, which held that some races were separate species, with separate origins.
A proponent of polygenesis — the idea that the races descended from different origins, a notion challenged in its own time and refuted by Darwin — he had the pictures taken to furnish proof of this theory.
Agassiz, a rival of Charles Darwin, subscribed to polygenesis, the theory that black and white people descended from different origins.
Douglass was especially critical of the promotion of polygenesis: the idea that the races of humankind emerged in separate creation events and with unequal capacities.
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Browse