Scientific racism

Scientific racism is the use of science to support racism. 

History

In the 19th century, scientists divided humankind into different groups called "races". The ideas of Social Darwinism and eugenics became popular, saying that some races were better than others and that only the best should survive.

19th-century racial "scientists" called black people members of the "Black race" or "Negroid race". Many scientists even said that white people were better than black people. In this way, scientists supported slavery and Jim Crow laws.Brooks, Roy L., editor. “Redress for Racism?” When Sorry Isn't Enough: The Controversy Over Apologies and Reparations for Human Injustice, NYU Press, 1999, pp. 395–398.

Some scientists said that Jews were a race. People like Houston Steward Chamberlain wrote that "Jews were a danger to other people". Adolf Hitler read some of these books and used their ideas during the Holocaust, 








  in which at least 6,000,000 Jews were killed.

Today

Today, scientists agree that there is only one human race. Modern genetic research shows that humans do not belong to different races.Templeton, A. (2016). Evolution and notions of human race. In Losos J. & Lenski R. (eds) How Evolution Shapes Our Lives: Essays on Biology and Society (pp. 346-361). Princeton; Oxford: Princeton University Press. . That this view reflects the consenus among American anthropologists is stated in:  They also say that "belief in races" is a bad thing that has caused much damage.

References



Category:Race
Category:Racism
Category:Pseudoscience
Category:Discrimination