A Study on the Introduction of the Theory of Evolution in Modern Egypt and Japan | ||
| مجلة وادي النيل للدراسات والبحوث الإنسانية والاجتماعية والتربويه | ||
| Article 6, Volume 34, Issue 34, April 2022, Pages 185-206 PDF (964.08 K) | ||
| Document Type: المقالة الأصلية | ||
| DOI: 10.21608/jwadi.2022.233770 | ||
| Author | ||
| Hassan Kamal Harb | ||
| Abstract | ||
| Modern Egypt and Japan accepted various foreign values of Western civilization during the nineteenth century. In this paper, the researcher compares the introduction and acceptance of the theory of evolution in Egypt and Japan, pursuing its paths in the two countries. In both countries, the introduction of evolution was relatively quick, and there was almost no time lag with Western countries. On the other hand, the attitudes and interests in evolution in both countries are quite different. There was tension between evolution and religion in Egypt. Religionists took a negative attitude toward evolution and sought to prove Darwin's theory to be delusional. On the other hand, in Japan, there was no such tension and there were no restrictions like monotheism, so the theory of evolution was quite positive. The theory was welcomed by curious Japanese who are always seeking new knowledge.In addition, in Japan, social evolution was more attractive than Darwin's theory of evolution. At the same time, there were many debates about racism regarding white supremacism. For example, there was a discussion about the superior intelligence, abilities, and physical strength of white people. On the other hand, Egyptians were interested much more in the demonstrability and correctness of evolution. The Egyptians also showed greater interest in Darwin's theory of evolution than in social Darwinism. In particular, the theory of evolution of living things, including human kind, was the center of Egyptian interest. The biggest difference in the acceptance of evolution between the two countries was the standard of evaluation of evolution. In Japan, the theory of evolution itself was the standard of evaluation. In other words, in Japan, the theory of evolution itself was not a questionable theory, but was used as a criterion for demonstrability. The theory of evolution was one step higher as a proven truth, and controversies were competing for how well they were in line with evolution. In Egypt, on the other hand, Islam and Christianity were the standard of thinking, and it was recognized that the entire universe, including humans, was created according to Allah's will. When evolution was introduced, it was often criticized and at least considered to be substantiated. The key word for the difference between the two countries was religion, especially monotheism. Unlike Egypt, Japan is not a monotheistic country, and the reason for the difference is that it has no ideas to resist the theory of evolution. | ||
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