How to Argue With a Racist
What Our Genes Do (and Don't) Say About Human Difference
2 of 2 copies available
Racist pseudoscience is on the rise—fueling hatred, feeding nationalism, and seeping into our discourse on everything from sports to intelligence. Even the well-intentioned repeat stereotypes based on "science," because cutting-edge genetics are hard to grasp—and all too easy to distort. Paradoxically, misconceptions are multiplying amid today's unprecedented surge of research on human genetics. We've never had a clearer picture of who we are and where we come from, and the science, when accurately understood, is a powerful and definitive ally against racism. But not nearly enough of these findings have made their way into the casual conversations we have about race.
This penetrating guide shows us how being a responsible and enlightened citizen on the matter of race today requires us to know what modern genetics actually can and can't tell us about human difference. Racial categories still vexing our societies do not align with observable genetic differences—and those differences are, in fact, so minute that they serve as evidence of our commonality.
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Creators
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Publisher
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Release date
August 4, 2020 -
Formats
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OverDrive Listen audiobook
- ISBN: 9781705207659
- File size: 136955 KB
- Duration: 04:45:19
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Languages
- English
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Reviews
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Part history lesson about racism and part in-depth science lesson, this audiobook is relevant and thought-provoking. Author/narrator Adam Rutherford's delivery is calm and measured. He shares his own background and experiences, and ties in numerous current events to address the need for science to push back against those who use biology, particularly genetics, to justify racism. While this audiobook isn't very long and Rutherford doesn't offer any tactics to be used against racists, he provides a lot to consider. Listeners will find the content interesting and timely. K.S.M. © AudioFile 2020, Portland, Maine -
February 24, 2020
Rutherford (The Book of Humans), a geneticist at University College London, addresses this short but impactful volume to the question of what his discipline has to say about racial difference. His thesis is expressed clearly and concisely: “Neither race nor racism has foundations in science.” Taking on four tendentious arguments, Rutherford effectively dismantles each. Skin color, he explains, is “a superficial route to an understanding of human variation, and a very bad way to classify people.” “Racial purity is a pure fantasy” in humans, given that “people have moved around the world throughout history and had sex wherever and whenever they could.” He finds a genetic component to success in sports, but one far outweighed by cultural aspects. On the other hand, he can find precious little data linking genetic differences between populations to differences in intelligence. While Rutherford relies on cutting-edge research to substantiate his points, he is not an apologist for everything scientific, recognizing the errors and racism present in the work of previous researchers. Rutherford’s work provides ample ammunition to anyone wishing to use science to combat racial stereotypes. Agent: Will Francis, Janklow.
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