Classification Systems

Paper Summary:

This paper discusses the various ways that human variation is classified, focusing in particular on those used by physical anthropology. The paper demonstrates how an analysis of classificatory systems of human variation can better help social scientists grapple with the issue of race. It contends that race has much more to do with pseudo-scientific differentiations among human beings than does genetics.

From the Paper:

"The entire human species is understood by most scientists as well as humanists to be highly variable (yet genetically quite uniform). Even within a single geographic region, country, neighborhood or household one can find innumerable visible differences between individuals. The origins of such differences can be traced to one's anatomy, physiology, ontogeny or culture. Except for culture, which is by definition learned, all of these factors have a genetic component. And as the study of human evolution and history demonstrates, the environment has had an essential role in selecting for certain genetic traits. Thus it can be said that human variation is the result of a complex interaction ..."

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