Afbeelding auteur

M. Andrew Holowchak

Auteur van The Stoics: A Guide for the Perplexed

23 Werken 119 Leden 1 Geef een beoordeling

Over de Auteur

M. Andrew Holowchak is assistant professor of philosophy at Rider University. His research interests are principally in ancient philosophy, philosophy and history of science, Freudian psychoanalysis, critical reasoning, and philosophy of sport. He is the author of multiple books, including Ancient toon meer Science and Dreams, Happiness and Greek Ethical Thought, The Stoics, and Critical Reasoning and Science. toon minder

Werken van M. Andrew Holowchak

Tagged

Algemene kennis

Geslacht
male

Leden

Besprekingen

Holowchak makes a fine argument that the lines of argument writers like Annette Gordon-Reed and Fawn Brodie use to "prove" Jefferson had a relationship with Sally Hemings are extremely flawed. This part of the book is great. Some writers come to Jefferson with preconceived hatchets to bury, and they proceed to bury them.

Holowchak also attacks the flawed logic of the evidence to tie Jefferson to Hemings, which is: (1) Jefferson was around when Hemings got pregnant, (2) people accused them of having a relationship, (3) DNA proves one of Hemings's children has male Jefferson DNA. (4) Thus, Jefferson MUST have fathered ALL of Hemings's children.

But this, logically, is an argument that does not necessarily follow. It may, but it may not. (1) Other Jeffersons were around when Hemings got pregnant, and maybe Hemings wasn't always around Monticello when Jefferson was; (2) accusations don't necessarily prove anything (as another supposed African American descendant of Jefferson, Thomas Woodson, has no Jefferson DNA); (3) just because the DNA is Jefferson DNA, doesn't mean it's THOMAS Jefferson DNA; (4) just because Eston Hemings has Jefferson DNA doesn't mean that Sally's other children were fathered by a Jefferson.

That said, a convincing case is not made that Jefferson DID NOT have a relationship Hemings. (It is hard to prove a negative, anyway.) This book serves to knock Gordon-Reed's agenda-driven research down a peg, but it doesn't invalidate it. And, the argument that Jefferson would not have had sex with her because of his principles is, well, a hard sell. History tells us principled people oftentimes lose their principles all the time when sex is dangled before them. A better book than

Did Thomas Jefferson have a sexual relationship with Sally Hemings? Who knows for sure. This book tells us why we can only say "maybe" and why those books that say "for certain" are, in fact, stretching a bit.
… (meer)
 
Gemarkeerd
tuckerresearch | Nov 5, 2013 |
 
Gemarkeerd
LoisSusan | Dec 10, 2020 |

Statistieken

Werken
23
Leden
119
Populariteit
#166,388
Waardering
½ 3.4
Besprekingen
1
ISBNs
52

Tabellen & Grafieken