Does Race Really Exist?

Question

I don't believe in race. I believe our environment and culture account for our differences. What do you think?

Answer 1

Race and culture are often confused.

Imagine five guys in suits sitting talking in a restaurant, each of a different race. White, Black, Chinese, Middle Eastern, whatever.

Whatever you are imagining, it is not the same as your emotional response to five guys dressed in gang colors. Or cross-dressed as gay Cher impersonators, or in police or army uniforms.

Race is far less important than the affiliations that people consciously or unconsciously belong to.

Race mostly matters for the amount of sunblock you need or how susceptible you are to certain medical conditions. To say race doesn't exist is naive.

But humans should not have to endure judgments against their character or capabilities or human rights because of race.

If you have to judge people, do so for their actions and affiliations, not the uncontrollable aspects of the bodies they are born with.

Answer 2

"Race" has become such a hot topic word that it is hard to use in public because it means so many different things to different people. The idea mentioned above, that there is more diversity within races than between is called "Lewontin's Fallacy" and is rejected by many geneticists. It is, however, politically correct. A serious statistical discussion of it is here:

http://www.gnxp.com/MT2/archives/003951.html

Some writers have tried to redefine race so that the word might make scientific sense again, they generally go with something "extensive families that are genetically similar" or some such. Among those who do classify people usually call the "races" African, Caucasian, South Asian and East Asian.

There is not a simple answer to your question. Right now science is showing that there is genetic diversity between groups of people that goes beyond just skin color, hair, etc., but it is a touchy topic.

One researcher, Bruce Lahn, published a paper recently showing genetic differences in genes related to intelligence and theorized that they had evolved since man left Africa. He found the furor over it so great that he has decided he will no longer investigate the genetic basis of intelligence, not in the USA anyway (he spends half the year in his native China).

It will remain a hot topic for quite a while, but science is advancing and we will know more in the near future. Gene Expression (gnxp.com) is a good site if you have any scientific bent.

Answer 3

ON one hand I think that the characteristic we base racial background on (skin color) is arbitrary. There are other factors of variation like blood type, height, eye color, nose shape, hair type, genes that predispose us to certain kinds of illness, etc. Skin color is just one of the many factors of variation among the human race.
Culture plays a tremendous role in human differences. Culture is also shaped by the environment. Also the role of culture is also what makes people seem so different.
BUT in our society, the category of race does exist. Many people feel there is race, and therefore racial discrimination. So to completly ignore the existence of race as a concept is to also ignore those who suffer from racism.

Ashley Montague's forward thinking book is an excellent read on this topic. Man's Most Dangerous Myth: The Fallacy of Race. I am pretty much convinces that there is no BIOLOGICAL basis for race, but that we cannot ignore the SOCIAL contruction of race.

Answer 4

Race exists....it's called the HUMAN RACE! So we are all members, I don't know how people got off thinking there are different races. We are divided by geography and ethnic /cultural differences....languages etc. But basically we are ONE race.

Answer 5

I just took a class on this. In the class we studied that biologically, people of two different races can have a better DNA match than two people of the same race. So biologically it is argured that race does not exist because of this.

However, socially it is very real because people have constructed it. Some people got into their minds that they are better than people who looked different than them, and acted on it and taught it to others.

So I guess my answer is both yes and no. More specifically, socially yes, biologically no.

Answer 6

Well the definition of race can vary wildly from one person to another.

Technically few if any of the terms used in the study of sociology have any real relevance outside of psuedo science. And I'm a Sociology Major so no I'm not just hating on SOC.

Answer 7

I don't believe in race too .I think when God created us, He didn't like monotony in His work, so He decided to create us in different colors but with the same purpose, He intended not to be callous to anybody, but being humans and thinking we are smart enough, we looked at our skin and developed 'races', a misplaced word that profanes God's work.

Answer 8

Totally. The only race of humans is Homo Sapiens Sapiens, and we are all members. The word race is used today to discriminate between groups of people based on skin color and/or religious beliefs.

Answer 9

From the research I have seen/heard of (from reputable sources) there is no genetic basis for racial differences. The most logical answer I have seen is differences in environment over LONG terms.

Answer 10

No.

Anthropology and Biology say no because there are no definitive standards between groups of people who are colored differently. Thier pigmentation is not like a Crayola formula. It's pretty much circumstance, sun exposure, and parentage.. none of which make for good mathematical formulas.