• rjs001@lemmygrad.ml
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    11 months ago

    While the Romans did use a large amount of abortions, it’s incorrect to claim that silphium necessarily went extinct due to its usage in causing them. It was widely used for many different causes besides abortions as well. Just figured I would point that out as we should be specific and ensure our arguments when pointing out these ridiculous fallacies made by liberals, such as the person you responded to

    • trias10@lemmy.world
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      11 months ago

      There’s no need to be pedantic for no reason. Whilst it’s true silphium was used for many things (including cooking), we don’t know what percentage of it was used for which aspects, but we do know for certainty that one use was an abortifacient, at huge scale, and that the plant is now extinct.

      Ergo, we can surmise that it’s widespread use as an abortifacient most likely contributed to its eventually extinction, along with its other use cases. Although I never said in my message that abortion was the sole use, I merely said that they used it for so many abortions it eventually ended up extinct.

      Honestly mate, this comment seemed like a superfluous exercise in pedantic narcissism and reminds me why I need to stay far away from Lemmy.

      • rjs001@lemmygrad.ml
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        11 months ago

        Eh, not really being pedantic and absolutely not being narcissistic. It’s simply wrong to argue that silphium went extinct because of the rate of abortions in the Roman Empire. It was massively traded and sold throughout the Mediterranean so it’s ahistorical to claim, with full confidence, that it went extinct due to Roman abortions. I suggest giving this article (https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fcosc.2021.785962/full) a read on it. The claim that the Romans overused in abortions and lead to its extinction simply isn’t proven in anyway. It was most likely over harvested, sure, but as I said, it was used for many different causes. So to call me narcissistic is ridiculous and arguably ought to be applied to you over me.