Claim: Racial Categories are Human Constructs

Question

The concept of "race" is a social construct and has no biological meaning. I was first introduced to this claim in one of my anthropology courses and further investigated the arguments behind this. I found that this concept has been so internalized in society that most believe it has biological meaning when it really is just a concept created by humans that has been passed down for centuries.

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/race-is-a-social-construct-scientists-argue/

Answer 1

Yes, race is a social construct. There is no biological meaning behind race and it is rather often used to arbitrarily group people (sometimes in negative ways/to disadvantage them).

 Checkout this article: https://libraryguides.saic.edu/learn_unlearn/foundations5

Comments

Great job writing up an explanation and finding a legitimate source. Don't forget to add a rating, such as "not misinformation, true."

Answer 2

Factual information. Science overwhelmingly supports the claim that race is a social construct not biological. Not only does the article prove so, but I've taken several college classes including a sociology class and African American history class which have proven as well that the claim is true.

Comments

Nice explanation and rating. However, you could dig a bit deeper and provide sources that support your answer of "science overwhelmingly supporting the claim that race is a social construct..." Also, if you want to use your African American history class as a source, it would be great to locate related articles, books, and academic research. Concrete evidence makes for a more solid fact-check.

Answer 3

According to the source” Scientific American” is a  secondary source that is considered a popular science magazine. Reporting and explains the implications of new scientific development for the public and there goal is to be informed and educated. These articles are mainly written by scientific that acquire many knowledge and from various resources and come into conclusion. This source states that most scientists agree that race is a social construct meaning its is created by social and doesn’t reflect true biological differences. Stating that race is socially meaningful, not strictly biological and have different traits. Svante Paabo  researcher explains that there is no single gene variant that separates racial groups. as well claims that differences are mostly about frequency of variants, not absolute differences. Acknowledging that race does not have a biological basis is it is human based construct.

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/race-is-a-social-construct-scientists-argue/

Another source according to the claim is “ National Library of Medicine” and it is considered a reliable and primary source for health information. This source claims that race is a social and human construct and not biological fact. Stating that through history race ideas originated in the 18th century to justify slavery and social hierarchy. Impacts on misdiagnosis, stereotypes and health disparities especially in black and minorities people. This causing ignorance on social and environmental factors while focusing on skin color or assumed biology.

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10519151/

According to the sources this statement is true.