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Originally Posted by Mynydd

Who knows if because they did not enter into contact with the Graeco-Roman Civilization?

Alright, that's a part a joke. And part serious too.

I mentioned the germans because that was the example that Leipreachán inicially posted but I could have equally said the Greeks or Italians.

So it doesn't quite work like you would like to imagine it. But it should be noticed that the example that has been chosen is a bit too extreme. There are some races which are certainly more primitive than others, as is the case of the Australian Aborigines and the Khoi-San from Southern Africa.

Having said this, I do not deny the differences but I warn against generalizing and overplaying the roles of these differences, while not putting them within context.

Speaking of generalizing, you have named the Mongolids. I should strongly remind you here of the millenary Civilization of the Chinese, when the Europeans were far behind them.

I intentionally chose the most extreme examples; it would be absurd in this context to compare races belonging to a same family group, especially when many nations are usually made up of different races from a same family group. This is the reason why I chose to compare different racial family groups: Caucasoids, Australian Aboriginals, Negrids, Mongolids.

While there are races which like you well said are more primitive than others and may not have the same cultural abilities as other races for example Australian Aboriginals or Negrids.

There are other races like Mongolids who do have equal mental and cultural abilities to those of Caucasiods yet one cannot measure these in the same way because they are so different from one another, this is due to psychological factors, every race has its own values, this is something that we must accept and respect, you may think that I am the sort of person who judges if the values of one culture or race are better than the values of another, this couldn’t be further from the way I see it, in this aspect I have always inclined my self towards racial relativism, Mongolids clearly have the same capacities as Caucasoids yet these aren’t comparable, that’s why Europe wouldn’t be Europe should its racial composition be made up of Mongolids.

And, in fact, if it had not been because the Portuguese set themselves to voyages of Discovery that allowed Europeans to expand and dominate the World, at a time when a Chinese Emperor had already decreed a strict policy of isolation and restricted their navigation voyages, Europe again would have been something very different.

Social and enviromental factors are important, yes, I do not deny this.

So what is important in connection to culture? Race? Well, it is to a point but then again its importance is arguable and certainly overplayed on certain circles. It is for those whose insignificance is a role model of life to cry out and overplay its importance in civilizational terms, as it is their only means to hold to it.

Well it could be argued to what extent race is important in connection to culture, are other factors more important than race? Well all factors are important, from the moment you give some importance to race no matter how little it is you accept that a given culture would not be the same without the racial factor, it’s obvious that there are many other factors, but a car without tires won't work properly even if it has wheels and engine.

In any case I understand what you are trying to point out.