Monogenism or sometimes
monogenesis is the theory of human origins which posits a
common descent for all human
races. The negation of monogenism is
polygenism. This issue was hotly debated in the Western world in the nineteenth century, as the assumptions of
scientific racism came under scrutiny both from religious groups and in the light of developments in the
life sciences and
human science. It was integral to early conceptions of
ethnology.