Slavery and Race

Philosophers from Europe and colonial America engaged in lively debates about the morality of slavery in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, and these debates provide insights into the roots of modern racism. This book explores philosophical ideas, theories, and arguments that are central to early modern discussions of slavery. Some texts explicitly examine the morality of the transatlantic slave trade or of the enslavement of indigenous people in the Americas; others discuss slavery in predominantly theoretical ways. Based on these texts, the book shows that race and slavery came to be closely associated in this period. This association often occurred through an endorsement of the theory of natural slavery: Black and indigenous people were commonly viewed as natural slaves, or naturally destined for slavery. The theory that some people are natural slaves also features prominently in theoretical discussions of slavery, and many philosophers in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries embraced versions of it. This book surveys a wide range of historical material, from the views of well-known authors such as Thomas Hobbes, John Locke, and Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz, to many less widely studied philosophers such as Gabrielle Suchon, Morgan Godwyn, and Epifanio de Moirans. By illustrating the significance and philosophical sophistication of early modern debates about slavery, this book serves as a valuable resource for scholars, instructors, and students who are curious about this widely neglected topic.