#055 - Is Race Even Real? With Guy P Harrison

Summary: What is race? Where did the concept of biological races come from, and does it make any logical or scientific sense? What does the history of human migration, invention, and conquest really teach us about the role of race in shaping human civilization? Why are racial stereotypes so powerful in society, and what can we do to effectively challenge racism? In this episode, we tackle these questions with special guest Guy P. Harrison, journalist and author of the 2010 book “Race and Reality: What Everyone Should Know about Our Biological Diversity.” We talk about both the science and the social issues surrounding race and diversity, correcting the false assumptions and popular misconceptions that lead many people to think that biological race defines and divides humanity. The reality turns out not to be that simple. Links: Guy P. Harrison on Twitter: https://twitter.com/Harrisonauthor Guy P. Harrison’s website: http://www.guypharrison.com/ “Race and Reality: What Everyone Should Know about Our Biological Diversity”: https://www.amazon.com/Race-Reality-Everyone-Biological-Diversity/dp/1591027675 American Anthropological Association (AAA) “Statement on Race”: www.aaanet.org/stmts/racepp.htm American Association of Physical Anthropologists (AAPA) “Statement on Biological Aspects of Race”: http://physanth.org/about/position-statements/biological-aspects-race/ CGP Grey’s videos summarizing key arguments in Jared Diamond’s book “Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JEYh5WACqEk and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wOmjnioNulo C0nc0rdance, “Do Human Races Exist?” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZrKrGkgeww4 C0nc0rdance, “The Science of Human Races” Parts 1 and 2, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=teyvcs2S4mI and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vVmj8dDx9yY