Validity of human races

The validity of human races is a subject of much debate. Many anthropologists, drawing on biological research, think common definitions of human races are without taxonomic validity. They argue that race definitions are imprecise, arbitrary, derived from custom, and vary across cultures. Others, however, argue that race continues to be a valid concept, and argue that movements to discredit racial classifications are often politically rather than scientifically motivated.

Related Topics:
Anthropologists - Race - Taxonomic

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Human variation can be used to distinguish and classify humans into groups. Group admixture can hinder such analysis. The relationship between social and genetic definitions of race is complex. Phenotypic and genotypic classifications do not always correspond exactly. Common race definitions correspond to genotypic groupings insomuch as they correspond to ancestry. Whether human population structure warrants racial groupings is a matter of debate, with majority opinions varying between disciplines. Some biologists prefer the term population to race. Similar reasoning has led some to describe races as (inbred) extended families.

Related Topics:
Phenotypic - Genotypic - Population

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~