May 23/24: Slavery, why do we as people always need slaves?
So in chapter five and six we learn about Slavery in throughout history. We learn what slavery is. Essentially that is means that a person is owned by someone else, who may be referred to as their master. This person can be bought, sold, used as property and discarded if the master decides. We know that throughout the ages slavery has been present in societies. In the text, the author tells us that around 1750 B.C.E. it was already a long established practice in Mesopotamia. He goes on to assert that slavery was also alive and well in all other civilizations. In the Americas, Africa and Eurasia the people practices some form of slavery.
Obviously there have been many types of slavery. Some forms where the social status of being a slave was passed down from generation to generation like in early America. A slave gave birth to a slave. There have been other societies, like in Aztec society, where the children of slaves were born as free people. This was an exception. We learn that there were societies that would allow for slaves to be emancipated. Some times that was due to the generosity of the owner. It could also come about due to religious leaders and their moral objection to the concept of slavery. We also learn that sometimes a slave might be set free as a financial decision because the master would have to care for these slaves as they grew older and less useful.
My question really is, why as humans are we predisposed to want slaves or have a the need for slaves throughout our history? Is there an instinctual need to make others slaves? Is it simply an innate desire to be superior to others? Is it a practical need for cheap labor in societies? Finding the answers to these questions are difficult and there are way too many opinions on this matter to resolve the issue. However, I did a quick internet search on some of these questions and results for justifying slavery came up every time, which I think is fascinating.
One article that I found provocative is one that I read on the BBC Website, called simply, Attempts to Justify Slavery, (n.d.). The authors point out that virtually everyone agrees that slavery is inhumane and degrading and wrong, but since for much of history many people defended it, it's important to demonstrate why it's wrong. They go on to list a few reason why people believe that slavery is justifiable and needed in society.
The first reason given was that it's natural that some people are slaves. This argument says that some people are slaves as part of the natural order of the universe, or as part of God's plan, and it is wrong to interfere with this by abolishing slavery. Fascinating to me that people linked it to God’s Plan. This to me simply allows these people to justify something that is so hurtful to a religious belief and therefore, not have to take any accountability for being morally wrong. The second reason is that slaves are inferior beings. And since slaves are not fully human and so their suffering is as ethically unimportant as the suffering of animals. To me this is the gateway drug to pure Racism.
Another reason given is that slavery is good for slaves because they lack the ability to run their own lives and are therefore better-off and happier in a system where their lives are run by others. One of the final points made is that abolishing slavery would threaten the structure of society. This thought is really anchored in history and seems to be an argument that a particular society was flawed and needed slavery to continue to be viable.
I guess my point to this observation is that we may always have slaves as part of our modern-day societies. On the official Department of Homeland Security Website there is information regarding what is called the Blue Campaign. It is defined as “… the unified voice for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) efforts to combat human trafficking. Working in collaboration with law enforcement, government, non-governmental and private organizations, the Blue Campaign strives to protect the basic right of freedom and to bring those who exploit human lives to justice.”
Clearly we, as humans, haven’t learned from our history. Perhaps I have answered the questions. Maybe there is an instinctual need for humans to enslave other humans. I hope not but it seems that way.
Obviously there have been many types of slavery. Some forms where the social status of being a slave was passed down from generation to generation like in early America. A slave gave birth to a slave. There have been other societies, like in Aztec society, where the children of slaves were born as free people. This was an exception. We learn that there were societies that would allow for slaves to be emancipated. Some times that was due to the generosity of the owner. It could also come about due to religious leaders and their moral objection to the concept of slavery. We also learn that sometimes a slave might be set free as a financial decision because the master would have to care for these slaves as they grew older and less useful.
My question really is, why as humans are we predisposed to want slaves or have a the need for slaves throughout our history? Is there an instinctual need to make others slaves? Is it simply an innate desire to be superior to others? Is it a practical need for cheap labor in societies? Finding the answers to these questions are difficult and there are way too many opinions on this matter to resolve the issue. However, I did a quick internet search on some of these questions and results for justifying slavery came up every time, which I think is fascinating.
One article that I found provocative is one that I read on the BBC Website, called simply, Attempts to Justify Slavery, (n.d.). The authors point out that virtually everyone agrees that slavery is inhumane and degrading and wrong, but since for much of history many people defended it, it's important to demonstrate why it's wrong. They go on to list a few reason why people believe that slavery is justifiable and needed in society.
The first reason given was that it's natural that some people are slaves. This argument says that some people are slaves as part of the natural order of the universe, or as part of God's plan, and it is wrong to interfere with this by abolishing slavery. Fascinating to me that people linked it to God’s Plan. This to me simply allows these people to justify something that is so hurtful to a religious belief and therefore, not have to take any accountability for being morally wrong. The second reason is that slaves are inferior beings. And since slaves are not fully human and so their suffering is as ethically unimportant as the suffering of animals. To me this is the gateway drug to pure Racism.
Another reason given is that slavery is good for slaves because they lack the ability to run their own lives and are therefore better-off and happier in a system where their lives are run by others. One of the final points made is that abolishing slavery would threaten the structure of society. This thought is really anchored in history and seems to be an argument that a particular society was flawed and needed slavery to continue to be viable.
I guess my point to this observation is that we may always have slaves as part of our modern-day societies. On the official Department of Homeland Security Website there is information regarding what is called the Blue Campaign. It is defined as “… the unified voice for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) efforts to combat human trafficking. Working in collaboration with law enforcement, government, non-governmental and private organizations, the Blue Campaign strives to protect the basic right of freedom and to bring those who exploit human lives to justice.”
Clearly we, as humans, haven’t learned from our history. Perhaps I have answered the questions. Maybe there is an instinctual need for humans to enslave other humans. I hope not but it seems that way.
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