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Atavism in physical science
During the interval between the
acceptance of
Darwinian evolution theory and
the rise of modern understanding
of
genetics, atavism was
used to account for the
reappearance in an individual of a
trait after several
generations of absence. Such an
individual was sometimes called a
"throwback".
The term is often used in
connection with the unexpected
reappearance of primitive traits
in
organisms.
The concept was much more
widely used in the pre-genetic
Darwinism of
Ernst Haeckel, who proposed a
recapitulation theory commonly
summed up in the phrase that
ontogeny recapitulates phylogeny:
the notion that a developing
embryo revisits the previous
evolutionary stages of the
organism in the course of its
development, and resembles the
successively more complex
organisms out of which it had
evolved.
The notion of atavism was used
frequently by
social darwinists, who claimed
that inferior
races displayed atavistic
traits, and represented more
primitive traits than their own
race. Both the notion of atavism,
and Haeckel's recapitulation
theory, are saturated with notions
of evolution as
progress, as a march towards
greater complexity and superior
ability.
In addition, the concept of
atavism as part of an
individualistic explanation of the
causes of criminal deviance was
popularised by the Italian
criminologist
Cesare Lombroso in the 1870’s.
He attempted to identify physical
characteristics common to
criminals and labelled those he
found as atavistic, ‘throwback’
traits that determined 'primitive'
criminal behaviour. His
statistical evidence and the
notion that physical traits
determine inevitable criminality
(an idea closely related to the
concepts of
eugenics) have long since been
debunked, but the concept that
physical traits may affect the
likelihood of criminal behaviour
in the individual remains popular
in some circles. For instance, the
presence of an
XYY chromosomal abnormality
was widely touted as a predictor
of violent behaviour among male
prison inmates in past decades.
Cf. also the
White supremacist belief that
Blacks are ethnically inferior to
Whites, and that this, rather than
economics and a demonstrably
racially-skewed justice
system, accounts for the
disproportionate
African-American prison inmate
population. Despite the number of
studies done on the subject, no
conclusive evidence exists of any
statistical link between physical
traits and individual criminality.
Ideas that the
genetic clock could somehow be
reversed led to the
selective breeding of
cattle with selected primitive
traits, in hopes of reviving the
extinct
aurochs.
Cultural references to atavism
The term atavism is sometimes
also applied in the discussion of
culture. Some
social scientists describe the
return of older, "more primitive"
tendencies (e.g., warlike
attitudes, "clan
identity," etc. -- anything
suggesting the social and
political atmosphere of thousands
of years ago) as "atavistic." "Resurgent
Atavism" is a common name for
the belief that people in the
modern era are beginning to revert
to ways of thinking and acting
that are throwbacks to a former
time. This is especially used by
sociologists in reference to
violence.
The
neo-pagan subculture also uses
this same terminology ("atavism"
or "resurgent
atavism") to describe how
modern, Western countries are
experiencing both the decline of
Christianity and the rise of
religious movements inspired by
the
pagan religions of centuries
past. Some cite the rise of
environmentalism,
scientific inquiry, and
liberalization of society as
contributing to an increasingly
secular society, one in which
religious sentiments are more
frequently tied with an
appreciation of the physical world
rather than set against it.
Occasionally, the use of these
terms in reference to
"alternative"
spirituality or in an
occult context implies the use
of violence to assert these
changing religious views--for
example, a rash of church burnings
across
Scandinavia has been described
as a part of this trend because
many of the perpetrators were
self-described "pagans" seeking to
overthrow what they deemed to be
centuries of
religious oppression by
Christianity. It should be noted,
however, that most adherents to
modern pagan religions and related
belief systems do not support
these actions.
