Redefining Reality - The Intellectual Implications of Modern Science

there are different combinations among different populations,
but if we are trying to draw sharp boundaries between races
one of these seemingly arbitrary properties than the others.
Which one and why?
There seem to be no good candidates for the one and only important
characteristic. That is the second part of the argument that race is a
markers for deeper, more subtle, and more important differences
between the races. This assertion, however, is just as problematic as
In 1972, American geneticist Richard Lewontin published
a paper entitled “The Apportionment of Human Diversity.”
Lewontin argues that it is undeniable that there are differences
in physical appearance and other properties in different
groups, but he worries that “sociopolitical biases derived
from human social experience [are being] carried over into
If we want to have facts and not biases determine our belief in
whether the observable differences in appearance have deeper
is in any way correlated with the standard division of race. We
need to look closely at human variability within and across
different groups to see if there are patterns.
In his research, Lewontin divided the human race into
subgroups. He then examined blood samples for evidence
of genetic variability. What he found was shocking to those
who held the accepted belief in the biological basis of racial
but the greatest degree of difference occurred within groups,
not across them.
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