What are the criticisms of race as a biological concept?

Question

What are the criticisms of race as a biological concept?

Answer 1

There is a consensus among the relevant scientists,

I.e. physical anthropologists and evolutionary biologists that race is not a biologically valid way to partition the human race. Physical anthropologists are precisely those

scientists who study human variation and therefore the ones best qualified to talk about "race." For members of the list who are interested in seeing what scientists have to say about the non existence of biologic "races" see:

Shomarka O.Y. Keita, 1993. "The Subspecies Concept in Zoology and Anthropology. A brief Historical Review and Test of a Classification Scheme," _Journal of Black Studies_, 23 (#3): 416 445.This is an Afrocentric journal edited by Molefi Asante. Keita is a distinguished

physical anthropologist teaching at Howard University.

Joseph L. Graves, 1993. "Evolutionary Biology and Human Variation. biological Determinism and the Mythology of Race," _Sage Race Relations Abstracts_ 18 (#3): 4-34. Graves is one of 4 African American molecular

biologists and teaches at Arizona State University West.

Jonathan Marks, 1994. "Black, White, Other," _Natural History_ December: 32-35. Marks is a physical anthropologist at Yale and this is a popular

version of his recent book on the topic.

C. Loring Brace, 1995. "Region Does not Mean "Race"--Reality Versus Convention in Forensic Anthropology," _ Journal of Forensic Sciences_ 40

(#2): 29-33. Brace is one of the foremost physical anthropologists in the world and teaches at the University of Michigan. He and his students have a chapter in the _Revisiting Black Athena_ book.

Frank b. Livingstone, 1964. "On the Nonexistence of Human Races," in A. Montague, ed., _The Concept of Race_ Free Press, pp 46-60. Reprinted by the

feminist post-modern philosopher Sandra Harding in _The Racial Economy of Science_ Indiana Univ. Press 1993. Livingstone was (is?) a physical anthropologist but it is interesting because it predates much of the DNA

evidence now available.

Jared Diamond, 1994. "Race Without Color" _Discover_ November: 83 89.

Diamond is a physiologist who teaches at UCLA. This issue if Discover is entirely devoted to race and worthwhile perusing.

Answer 2

There is only one major criticism of race as a biological concept -- no proof.

Although many "scientists" have tried to find biological proof that there are different races of humans, none have succeeded.

Sure there are some minor physical differences between peoples living in different parts of the world, but the fact that those differences tend to disappear as different peoples intermarry proves that they are simply regional variations, not proof of races.

Answer 3

Aside from the fact that there is no proof, the biological concept can be used to justify a race being superior or inferior to others.

Answer 4

we are all the same genetically

Answer 5

The egg and spoon race is a good staring point for the world.