The World's Best Book Summaries
What happened to the great auk? What role did humans play in the disappearance of the giant seabird of the North Atlantic? The extinction of the great auk is attributed to several causes. There was a volcano eruption on one of the breeding islands. However, the major factor is considered to be the mass killings of auks for egg collection in the 1800s. Read more to learn about the factors behind the great auk’s extinction.
What is racial superiority in the context of casteism? How has the belief in the inherent superiority of the white race been used to legitimize racial discrimination? According to Isabel Wilkerson, the author of Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents, racial superiority is one of the eight tenets of the caste system. This belief is still at the heart of every interaction between the dominant caste and subordinate caste in America. Read about how the belief in racial superiority is enforced and perpetuated in a caste system.
What is disinvestment in the public sector? Why is this harmful and why do governments do it? Disinvestment in the public sector is a decision by the government to take funds out of public services, while keeping taxes for businesses and the wealthy low. Even though this has consequences for average people, Read more about disinvestment in the public sector and what it means.
What caused neanderthal extinction? Did we—homo-sapiens humans—play a part in killing our species-cousins? According to scientists’ projections, neanderthals disappeared about thirty thousand years ago. Researchers first suggested climate change or disease as theories for their disappearance. More recently, however, other researchers concluded that neanderthal extinction was caused by humans. Read about neanderthal extinction and its causes.
What is the meaning of casteism and how is it different from classism? What are the consequences of the caste mentality? The casteism meaning is often confused with the classism definition. Casteism is the practice of singling out and discriminating against a group of people on the grounds of their inherent characteristics. Classism, on the other hand, is prejudice against people belonging to a certain socioeconomic class. Read on to learn more about the casteism meaning and societal implications.
Who was Confederate Robert E. Lee? What role did he play in the American Civil War? What was he fighting for? Confederate Robert E. Lee was an American general who served as the commander of the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. He is best known for leading the charge against America to secure the domination of the white race and subjugation of the black race. Read more about Confederate Robert E. Lee.
What is a Southern identity? Why is the American south so deeply entrenched in conservative ideology? Much of the current conservative identity comes from traditional Southern identity. While it doesn’t cover all elements of Southern identity, southerners resent that aspects of life like family, church, and jobs requiring physical labor are cast as backward and ignorant. Read more about Southern identity and its relationship to conservatism.
What is a caste system? What are some real-world caste system examples? Caste is a man-made social order developed to rank the value of certain groups of people. Some of the most pronounced caste system examples are India, Nazi Germany, and the United States of America. Keep reading for real-world caste system examples and how they compare to each other.
What is the Holocene extinction? When did it start and what is the main driving force behind species disappearance during the Holocene epoch? The Holocene extinction, also known as the Anthropocene extinction, is the ongoing mass species extinction event that started at the end of the ice age. It is attributed to climate change and human activity (e.g. habitat destruction and species dispersal). Keep reading to learn about Holocene extinction.
What are the differences between the caste system in India vs America? How can we make sense of this juxtaposition? Most people are unlikely to see the overlap between the caste system in India vs America. But similarities exist between the two societies, in that both are government-sanctioned caste systems. Read about the overlap between caste system in India vs America.