Re: There are racists; but no races.

Mike Powell (mikep@sr.hp.com)
10 Jan 1997 20:50:14 GMT

Thomas L. Billings (itsd1@teleport.com) wrote:
: In article <5b3ff4$b98@canyon.sr.hp.com>, mikep@sr.hp.com (Mike Powell) wrote:

: > Michael Ballard (miballar@leland.Stanford.EDU) wrote:
: > : On 7 Jan 1997, Mike Powell wrote:

: > : > There are no "workers", only people (humans) ... who do work.
: > : >
: > : > This is generally accepted (but not by everyone).
: > : >
: > : > -mp-

: > : We do NOT live in a classless society:

: > We do not live in a raceless society.

: Which comments are BOTH true. They are also indicative of the value of
: the concepts of race and class for predicting human behaviors. I've come
: to regard them as equivalent in social science to what Earth, Air, Fire,
: and Water were for Chemistry, for 2000 years. Concepts which seem to work
: somewhat, as long as thorough and quantitative predictions and
: measurements are NOT made.

Agreement...

Both are attempts at classification... (although the worker
classification is far more conceptual/abstract in nature).

Race has some important feartures wrt biological factors
(patterns of disease, etc.) that make the distinctions of
racial heritage fairly important in real physical ways.

Political usage is quite problematic, however.

-mp-