Polygenism

Polygenism is a theory of human origins which posits the view that humans are of different origins (polygenesis). This view is opposite to the idea of monogenism, which posits a single origin of humanity. Modern scientific views find little merit in any polygenic model due to an increased understanding of speciation in a human context, with the monogenic "Out of Africa" hypothesis and its variants being the most widely accepted models without supporting evidence of later archaeological sites for human origins. Polygenism has historically been heavily used in service of white supremacist ideas and practices, disproving a common origin between European and non-European peoples by considering archaeological evidence found from modern day DNA sequences comparing hominid species and modern humans. It can be distinguished between Biblical polygenism, describing a Pre-Adamite or Co-Adamite origin of certain races in the context of the Genesis narrative of Adam and Eve, and scientific polygenism, attempting to find a taxonomic basis for ideas of racial science.