He thought he had found the so-called scientific basis of racism: Who is Alfred Otto Ammon?

(1842-1916) German anthropologist. He is one of the founders of the Anthropometric School, which explains social formations with the phenomenon of social selection. Born December 7, 1842, in Karlsruhe, died January 14, 1916. Along with the French anthropologist and biologist Vacher de Lapouge, he is counted among the founders of the Anthropometric School in sociology. He tried to justify racism based on the data from anthropology and biology. These two anthropologists, who previously worked separately, later collaborated to disseminate their theories that made similar claims.

Otto Georg Ammon (December 7, 1842 in Karlsruhe, Baden – January 14, 1916 in Karlsruhe) was a German anthropologist. Ammon was an engineer from 1863 to 1868. In 1883 he led a geographical and geological exploration of Roman roads. In 1887 he conducted anthropological research and from 1887 onwards he was a member of the Ancient Karlsruher Association and the Natural Science Association. In 1904 he received an honorary doctorate from the University of Freiburg.

Ammon began his investigations in 1886 by measuring the skulls of conscripts in cities such as Heidelberg and Mannheim in the Grand Duchy of Baden. He claimed that among the recruits, those of urban origin had a higher rate of dolichocephaly, while the rate of brachycephaly was higher among the villagers.

Ammon, who also applied anthropometric measurement techniques on the conscripts and students in Karlsruhe and Freiburg, stated that the dolichocephalic rate differs from the villagers in the urban population; those who migrated from the village to the city and those who stayed in the village; He argued that it was higher in “upper” grades than in “lower” grades. According to Ammon, who tries to explain this generalization with the phenomenon of social selection, the majority of those who migrate from the village to the city are dolichocephalic. In addition, the mortality rate in brachycephalic living in cities is higher than in dolichocephalic, and dolichocephalic succeeds in cities and reaches high positions. As a result of social selection, the number of dolichocephalic increases in the urban and "upper" classes. Based on these arguments, Ammon tried to show that there is a connection between dolichocephaly and the phenomenon of rural-to-urban migration and mental ability.

Ammon laid out his general sociological theory in his book Die Gesellschaftsordnung und Ihre Natürlichen Grundlagen (“The Order of Society and Its Natural Foundations”), published in 1895. Criticizing the sociological theories that deal with social phenomena from a purely economic point of view, he argued that social events should be based on biological foundations. Drawing on Darwinian laws such as heredity, natural selection, and the struggle for survival, he formulated a systematic theory of social order and social evolution.

According to Ammon, heredity lies at the root of people's physical and spiritual inequality. Genius and talent can only be explained by heredity. Social inequalities, which are a natural result of innate inequalities among people, occur within the process of social selection. This sort of selection is as necessary as it is beneficial to society. In other words, the existence of social layers is in accordance with the biological structure of human beings. Pointing out that the most important factor in the emergence of social strata is race, Ammon argues that the "upper" classes are made up of talented dolichocephalics, and the "lower" classes are made up of brachycephalics. According to Ammon, the progress of society depends on the fact that the proportion of dolichocephalic it contains does not decrease. However, the forms of social selection existing in Western societies do not allow the survival of the "upper" classes formed by the Aryan (Northern European Caucasian) dolichocephalic. In order to put his theoretical arguments into practice and thus save the pure Aryans, Ammon aimed to prevent marriages between the "aristocracy" and the "lower" classes, to prepare the material conditions for the "higher" classes to fulfill their mental duties, and to help the unskilled, according to his own standards, to be in the society of society. He also proposed a series of racist measures, such as the prohibition of their promotion to the "higher" classes.

The Anthropometric School, founded by Ammon, tried to explain social development based on Darwin's laws of evolution and advocated racist views. Other schools where racist currents are represented in sociology are Gobineau's Historian-Philosopher School and Gabon's Biometric School. These theories, which were put forward during the transition period from the 19th century to the 20th century, first became one of the ideological bases of German imperialism and then of Hitler's fascism.