The " Great Chain of Being"
Most of the concepts
about the nature of living things derive from the writings of Aristotle (a Greek philosopher of the Fourth Century, B.C.).
As part of his theory, Aristotle believed that all of nature could be seen as a continuum of organization from lifeless matter (e.g., water, Earth, fire and air) to the most complex forms of life.
He proposed a rank ordering of all living things, from the least to the highest (humans).
This idea developed, during the later centuries, into the concept of the " Great Chain of Being". The idea had become rigidly codified by the 14th century (preceeding the Renaissance). All living things were seen as members of unchanging types, called species, which could be ordered from the least to the highest.
The metaphor of the "chain" of being suggested that these species were linked to each other by a logical progression. The question now is could “great chain of being” logic be the philosophy behind the ethnic groups and classes among human beings?
Well the ideas are welcomed!