The content of abolitionist propaganda, the strength of its arguments as compared to those of pro-slavery propaganda, would sway a Martian observer trying to decide what he thought about slavery.
This is so not a debate I’d want a Martian to adjudicate. How would a Martian evaluate questions like this:
Does the Bible support slavery or abolitionism?
Does slavery agree or disagree with the inherent rights of man?
I guess a Martian could try to evaluate some empirical questions that may be relevant:
Do the black people have a natural slave mentality? More generally: Are there any significant biological cognitive differences between blacks and whites?
Will abolition lead to a slippery slope ending in full equality and integration of black and white people, including intermarriage?
But I fear the Martians will bring their own criteria into play. Those might be anything. Say:
Since we Martians have a natural slave caste doesn’t it seem likely that the humans do too?
Would the abolition of slavery ultimately increase or decrease the number of paperclips?
This is so not a debate I’d want a Martian to adjudicate. How would a Martian evaluate questions like this:
Does the Bible support slavery or abolitionism?
Does slavery agree or disagree with the inherent rights of man?
I guess a Martian could try to evaluate some empirical questions that may be relevant:
Do the black people have a natural slave mentality? More generally: Are there any significant biological cognitive differences between blacks and whites?
Will abolition lead to a slippery slope ending in full equality and integration of black and white people, including intermarriage?
But I fear the Martians will bring their own criteria into play. Those might be anything. Say:
Since we Martians have a natural slave caste doesn’t it seem likely that the humans do too?
Would the abolition of slavery ultimately increase or decrease the number of paperclips?