Adults Quote by Juan Gines de Sepulveda
“The Spaniards are perfectly right to govern these barbarians of the New World and adjacent islands; they are in prudence, ingenuity, virtue, and humanity as inferior to the Spaniards as children are to adults and women are to men, there being as much difference between them as that between wild and cruel and very merciful persons, the prodigiously intemperate and the continent and tempered, and I daresay from apes to men”
About This Quote
Source Historical Treatise: Letter to the Pope, 1545
He argues that colonized peoples are inferior and must be ruled by Europeans, using dehumanizing comparisons.
In simple terms: He claims colonized peoples are inferior and need European rule.
Key Takeaway
Challenge assumptions of inherent superiority.
Themes
colonialism
racial hierarchy
human rights
Mood
critical
historical
Type
political
ethical
historical
When to use this quote
- education policy
- historical analysis
- human rights advocacy
Key Concepts
imperialism
ethnocentrism
philosophy of law
Questions to Reflect On
- What are the moral implications of labeling others as inferior?
- How can history inform contemporary justice?
A Different Perspective
Such views ignore the humanity and agency of colonized peoples.
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