Why the Racial Divisions?

Question

have heard different perspectives on race from many different people. For examples, some people say that we are all one race while others say we are a species made up of different races. Others say there is only three races, while others insist that the three races are only general anthropological groups that carry more specific sub-races. I have heard many Africans say that not all Africans are of the same race, and that other say that all are only separated by ethnic culture. Caucasian: White, Mediterranean, Middle Eastern, North African. African: Sub-Saharan, South African Native, and East African. Asian: South Asian, East Asian, Oceanic, Pacific Islander, Native American. Mixed Races: Mestizo, Mulatto, Eurasian. All these I have heard are actuall racial groups, and I say that while several people may be true on their perspective on race we all came from one another so therefore he are more similar that different. Why do peoples divide more that unite??? What do you think?

Answer 1

1) There are differences because of isolation or near isolation from one another at some point in time.  That's why Darwin had to go to a far off island.

2) We trust people like ourselves because we understand them and distrust those not like ourselves for their unknown ways may bring harm to ourselves. That is why we seek for answers because the unknown may bring harm.  That's why you are on Yahoo answers.

Answer 2

You pose a very good question. Well, I can tell you that there is only one race which is the Human race. It is defined as that in all dictionaries. From that one race, there are different ethniticies, and they are categorized (because unfortunately that is what we humans do most, categorize things) depending on the color of the skin, the regions, the language, religion even, countries, etc. Realize when you think about this question, that all humans have 23 pairs of chromosomes.Some populations, because of the transmission of genes, have come to share similar characteristics, such as eye color, hair color, skin color, etc. There is no ethnic group better than the other, or superior or smarter, etc. There is just genes. If those genes mix, then you get a new one. Mulatto is the mixing of the white caucasian with black. The problem with this has been that for the longest time people have failed to realize the above, and have come to believe that their particular one is "the best" or "the superior", when in reality they are all one Race. Do you remember what happened in Africa? The civil war between the Hutus and  the Tootsies? Mass genocide all because of the differences in skin color, nose shape, and tallness. Ridiculous.

Answer 3

In the General Study of Nature, published in 1735, Charles Linnaeus wrote that there were four main categories of the Genus Homo sapiens as a result of the varying cultures and climates. These included Americanus, Asiaticus, Africanus and Europeaus. He concluded that Europeaus was the superior group because they were changeable, clever, inventive and governed by laws.

Answer 4

It's probably because of the minor genetic differences between various ethnic groups in a single race that causes scientists to divide in into sub-races.

Answer 5

There is only one human race. The genetic differences between different people groups are minute.

For example, we are all in fact brown (except albinos), the shade of brown is determined by how much melanin we produce - controlled by a few genes.

Here is an excellent article here about the origin of the people groups, which answers all your questions very fully.

http://www.creationontheweb.com/images/p...

Answer 6

All the best thinking is on your side -- there's really no such thing as race; it's a misguided and incoherent notion.

There's no way to divide our species into racial groups in any way that makes sense.

PEOPLE vary in lots of ways, but none have anything to do with "race" except a few physical traits (dark or light eyes, for instance).

Here's the official position of the American Anthropological Association:

http://www.aaanet.org/stmts/racepp.htm