A Look Into Race

Brett Lafeen
Anthropology 2010

Abstract
In this paper I will look deeper into the constructs of Race as a classification
of human. In the early history of the world several scientists took it upon their
selves to organize animals, plants, fungi, and other manner of organisms.
They used several different means to accomplish this task. One of the ways
that they decided to classify animal and plantae was by the physical and the
psychological behaviors of such organism. I will be focusing on these two
aspects as it relates to Homo Sapiens and the subclassification we call Race
or the origin of which geographic location particular Homo Sapiens came from
and their variation of skin color.

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Early History of Taxonomy

In the 1700s several scientists were looking for a way to classify all
organisms. One of these scientists in particular was Carl Linnaeus, he came
up with a method of sorting out living organisms by means of a system called
binomial nomenclature, which is a two name system used to pinpoint a
specific organism and the fact that they all have a common ancestor, the
two-part name given to human is Homo Sapiens. This system is also known
as taxonomy.
Taxonomy is a method of finding the specific name of the organism, similar to
scientific method. Like scientific method there are several steps to finding the
given name, in taxonomy the steps of finding that name is by classifying each
by: Kingdom, Phylum, Class, Order, Family, Genus, and Species. The Binomial
Nomenclature is discovered but naming the Genus and the Species. Our
Genus is Homo and our Species is Sapiens, thus we have the classification of
Homo sapiens

Race
When it comes to Homo sapiens, one can see that humans all look similar but
that there are some differences from each of us. Take hair color for example,
some humans have blonde hair, some have brown, some have black hair, and
some have red. There are other physical traits that differ one human to the
next. Skin color is a prime example. In days past, a scientist named Johann
Blumenbach, saw the differences and gave a color associated with each
geographical region from whence they came. The different colors associated
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were: Black, white, yellow, brown, and red. Blumenbach noticed that people
that came from the southern regions from him were generally a black color,
people to the east were yellow, people east were red, and people that were
from his local area and north were usually a white color. He believed that the
original skin pigment was white and that, due to environmental and
nutritional factors, skin pigment did darken as factors were increasingly
harsh. He did not however believe that darker skin was a sign of inferiority
and that lighter skin was better. He stated that
"Finally, I am of opinion that after all these numerous instances I have brought
together of negroes of capacity, it would not be difficult to mention entire well-known
provinces of Europe, from out of which you would not easily expect to obtain off-hand
such good authors, poets, philosophers, and correspondents of the Paris Academy; and
on the other hand, there is no so-called savage nation known under the sun which has
so much distinguished itself by such examples of perfectibility and original capacity for
scientific culture, and thereby attached itself so closely to the most civilized nations of
the earth, as the Negro."- a) Blumenbach

Race in a sociological view

Race has morphed into something that many people try not to talk about, it is
seen as a bad thing. There have been many stereotypes depicting race in a
negative context. Race was not developed to tear and divide people, merely
a way to relate a environment where a particular person has came from,
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Nowadays race is usual discussed as a war between the lighter skinned

individuals and the darker skinned individuals. It is a construct that one is
better than another. But that is not the intent of Race. We have battles that
wage on thinking that whites view blacks as inferiors and that blacks are
criminals. This is due to propaganda dividing one from another. In times far
past, bondage has occurred between races which has brought contention to
the land. Not only bondage between colors but also of people and their
ideologies.

Races Biologically
This section deals with the physical features and behavioral patterns of
different races. We can see several common differences among races
throughout time. These studies are generalities and do not label each person
from a particular race as such.
b)

J. Philippe Ruston explains the following after 20 years of research on Black,

White, and Oriental demographics as a group:

What I've found is that in brain size, intelligence, temperament, sexual
behavior, fertility, growth rate, life span, crime, and family stability, Orientals,
as a group, consistently fall at one
end of the spectrum, Blacks fall at the other end, and Whites fall in
between...He noted that... What I've found is that in brain size, intelligence,
temperament, sexual behavior, fertility, growth rate, life span, crime, and
family stability, Orientals, as a group, consistently fall at one

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end of the spectrum, Blacks fall at the other end, and Whites fall in between.
On average, Orientals are slower to mature, less fertile, and less sexually
active, and have larger brains and higher IQ scores. Blacks are at the
opposite end in each of these areas. Whites fall in the middle, often close to
Orientals
His studies go onto say that Black people generally have faster reflexes
allowing them to jump, box, and perform other tasks needed in sports while
Whites and Orientals generally mature slower but have larger brains and
larger hips, thus slowing their speed in sports.
We all have differences that have come via evolutions and have our
advantages when working together.

Conclusion
Concluding that since the beginning of modern science, in an effort to make
classification more easy, we have also divided peoples from one another. Not
on purpose, but still it has happened. All people are different and we all have
skills to bring to the table if we will but work together. Geographically
speaking our bodies have changed to adapt to our environment. Everyone is
important to the ecosystem just as other animals are important to survival as
a whole.

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This paper has allowed me to research and get different insights about all
races as an ecosystem and not as an individual entity.

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References
a) Blumenbach, Johann Friedrich. 1865. The Anthropological Treatises of
Johann Frederich Bumenbach. [Page 312]
Bernasoni, Robert, The Idea of Race, 2000. Chapter 5 [Pages 27-38]
Blumenbach, Johann Friedrich. Complete Dictionary of Scientific
Biography. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. 22 Apr. 2016
<http://www.encyclopedia.com>.
b) Rushton, J. Philippe. Race, Evolution, and Behavior. 3rd Edition. Internet
Sourced.
Weebly Website blafeeportfolio.weebly.com

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