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NL888 Posted 12 years ago
Grammar
Still less?
Does "still less" mean "not to mention"?
Context:
Thomas Henry Huxley, by the standards of his times, was an
enlightened and liberal progressive. But his times were not ours,
and in 1871 he wrote the following:
No rational man, cognizant of the facts, believes that the
average negro is the equal, still less the superior, of
the white man. And if this be true, it is simply incredible
that, when all his disabilities are removed, and our
prognathous relative has a fair field and no favor, as well
as no oppressor, he will be able to compete successfully
with his bigger-brained and smaller-jawed rival, in a
contest which is to be carried on by thoughts and not by
bites. The highest places in the hierarchy of civilization
will assuredly not be within the reach of our dusky
cousins.
Context:
Thomas Henry Huxley, by the standards of his times, was an
enlightened and liberal progressive. But his times were not ours,
and in 1871 he wrote the following:
No rational man, cognizant of the facts, believes that the
average negro is the equal, still less the superior, of
the white man. And if this be true, it is simply incredible
that, when all his disabilities are removed, and our
prognathous relative has a fair field and no favor, as well
as no oppressor, he will be able to compete successfully
with his bigger-brained and smaller-jawed rival, in a
contest which is to be carried on by thoughts and not by
bites. The highest places in the hierarchy of civilization
will assuredly not be within the reach of our dusky
cousins.
Top answer
Hello NL888, No, This is an a fortiori argument. THH is saying that the fact that the negro is not the equal of the white man means a fortiori that he is not superior to the white man. He is making clear that by not equal to he means not equal to or greater than .
- Hello NL888, No, This is an a fortiori argument.
- THH is saying that the fact that the negro is not the equal of the white man means a fortiori that he is not superior to the white man.
- He is making clear that by not equal to he means not equal to or greater than .
- The fact that the negro is not equal to the white man, by this argument, means that he is still less superior to him.
- He would clearly have at least to be not inferior to him to be superior to him.
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4 Answers
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Hello NL888,
No, This is an a fortiori argument. THH is saying that the fact that the negro is not the equal of the white man means a fortiori that he is not superior to the white man. He is making clear that by not equal to he means not equal to or greater than.
The fact that
No, This is an a fortiori argument. THH is saying that the fact that the negro is not the equal of the white man means a fortiori that he is not superior to the white man. He is making clear that by not equal to he means not equal to or greater than.
The fact that
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Thanks.
My dictionary tells a fortiori is pronounced as /'ei,f?:ti'?:rai/. is it acceptable?
My dictionary tells a fortiori is pronounced as /'ei,f?:ti'?:rai/. is it acceptable?
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NL888 Thanks. My dictionary tells a fortiori is pronounced as /'ei,f?:ti'?:rai/. is it acceptable?Yes. That's certainly how I've always heard it pronounced in British English.
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It occurs to me that I might initially have mentioned that 'still less' means 'even less' here. That effectively points to the a fortiori argument.
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