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 Does race exist? Article says it does! « View previous topic :: View next topic » 
Does race exist? (read article)
Yes
69%
 69%  [ 9 ]
No
23%
 23%  [ 3 ]
Undecided
7%
 7%  [ 1 ]
Total Votes : 13
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scientstphilosophertheist
Posted: Fri Dec 14, 2007 7:58 am    Post subject: Does race exist? Article says it does! Reply with quote

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Not that I agree. I'm neutral on the idea until some 'race deniers' can show why they think he is mistaken (make sure you read the part on 'bone research').
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marnixR
Posted: Fri Dec 14, 2007 9:09 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

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i'm sure that races exist, when understood as local populations with characteristics slightly different from other populations

when limited to this definition, the question of race is pretty uncontroversial (even though some might want to have a try) - it's when you try to interpret these local differences as differences in worth that you leave the field of science and enter the world of politics, where race is obviously a hot potato

however, to place the issue of race in perspective : the amount of variation found in any group of chimps is greater than that of the whole human species
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captaincaveman
Posted: Fri Dec 14, 2007 9:58 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

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Ive always accepted that race exists,and believe the difference in race is similar to sub-species in other animals, If the PC brigade allowed it.

Looking at other species that have been awarded the label of sub species,there are far fewer differences between them and the variability of humans

I got mis-interpreted last time i used the term sub species as some took this as meaning sub standard which isn't what i mean
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curious1
Posted: Mon Dec 17, 2007 1:14 pm    Post subject: do race exist? Reply with quote

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No, biologically, politically or any other way. slight difference in apperance do not make say blue eyes and brown eyes any thing more then Eyes. the same can be said from skin color to hair. and just because one group may see them selves in rankings as opposed to another group does'nt change or make it different either. superiour weapons make superior men, but men never the less. perhaps we have our differences to insure our survival.
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adamd164
Posted: Mon Dec 17, 2007 1:48 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

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marnixR wrote:
i'm sure that races exist, when understood as local populations with characteristics slightly different from other populations

when limited to this definition, the question of race is pretty uncontroversial (even though some might want to have a try) - it's when you try to interpret these local differences as differences in worth that you leave the field of science and enter the world of politics, where race is obviously a hot potato

however, to place the issue of race in perspective : the amount of variation found in any group of chimps is greater than that of the whole human species

But a population is a concept which really doesn't exist in Homo Sapiens, as in most other species. Constant interbreeding, immigration and emigration mean that the vast, vast majority of genetic diversity is between members of the species as a whole, as opposed to between specific groups within the species.
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paralith
Posted: Mon Dec 17, 2007 1:51 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

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The problem with biological determinants of race is that they are usually characteristics that gradate from one population to another - there's not really a defining line. The populations in, say, China and Ethiopia, most definitely have some differing genetic characteristics, but where in the space in between them that you choose to draw the line and say "You are definitely one race, and you are definitely another" is more or less arbitrary. It's rather like trying to distinguish individual groups in a ring species. You could if you wanted to, but you're probably not describing an actual, defined divide.
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marnixR
Posted: Mon Dec 17, 2007 4:08 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

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adamd164 wrote:
But a population is a concept which really doesn't exist in Homo Sapiens, as in most other species. Constant interbreeding, immigration and emigration mean that the vast, vast majority of genetic diversity is between members of the species as a whole, as opposed to between specific groups within the species.


maybe in the world as it is now, man's mobility is such that distinct populations become blurred through interbreeding
however, go back 10,000 years and mobility was far more restricted, so during the first 90% of H.sapiens's existence i don't see a problem with local variants starting to become distinct from one another
i also don't see a problem recognising the fact that a remainder of that distinction is still with us, even though it's probably disappearing fast
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Arctic Rocks
Posted: Mon Jan 14, 2008 6:28 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

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I think race is primarily a social construct. There are slightly different characteristics with each ethnicity, but not enough to warrant a special biological status in my opinion.
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Insulin Mishap
Posted: Tue Jan 15, 2008 12:46 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

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Racism dooms itself, for it is characteristic of a primitive and backward way of thinking about society. However, I think that it is ludicrous to suggest that these "races" only vary in skin color. They have different ancestries, therefore they have different genetics.
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Guest
Posted: Tue Jan 15, 2008 12:59 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote






yawn....

Here we go again, Humans trying to categorise things into black or white, (no pun intended).

So those of you who believe in race, what race are you?.

It is an individual thing, a person who believes in 'race' can himself categorise all his fellow humans into 'races' the only apparent reason for this seems to be to practice racial hatred.

I am ashamed that the UK government pas passed 'race' laws, this means they too, believe in racism.


Incidentally, the original question is flawed, I think it should either say
"Does Racism exist" or "Should the human population be sub-divided into races"

Then to the first I would say, yes, unquestionably, but to the second I would say no!.
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captaincaveman
Posted: Fri Jan 25, 2008 12:59 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

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i dont think the division of race is a way to divide for racial reasons, i dont see why humans cant be sub catagorised like any other species of animal, interestingly, the white european is in the same racial group as people from the middle east, both caucasoid's

heres a link

http://racialreality.110mb.com/racesofman.html
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Stephen
Posted: Fri Jan 25, 2008 1:02 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

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Yes races exist, but I usually come last in them.
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Guest
Posted: Fri Jan 25, 2008 1:05 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote






"We are all black when the lights go out.."
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marnixR
Posted: Fri Jan 25, 2008 1:13 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

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how about visiting a foreign country, like Philosophorum ? plenty of møøse there ...

biology without evolution is but stamp collecting
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Posted: Fri Jan 25, 2008 1:18 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote






I'm prejudiced against very old rocks, mostly those formed on the sea floor, either by excrement filtering down onto the seabed mixing with seafloor crap and being fossilized (called Ophiolite) or just old fossilized crap ( Coprolite).
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