Race is the categorization of humans into groups that are viewed as distinct by their shared physical and social characteristics. The grouping of human societies into races has been used to justify racial hierarchies, discrimination and social inequality (American Sociological Association 2003). Today, most modern scientists reject the notion that discrete biological races exist and instead view the term “race” as a social construct with no inherent biological meaning.
The idea of races dates back to ancient times, when people distinguished one another by a combination of physical traits and social affiliations. Early on, the concept of race was linked to a belief that humans could be separated into different categories of superiority and inferiority, as exemplified by the Christian doctrine of “purity of blood.” The Inquisition was also based on racial beliefs, with Grand Inquisitor Torquemada inquiring into defendants’ ancestry in order to determine their religion and political affiliation (Bernasconi and Lott 2000, vii).
Scientists once attempted to establish the scientific validity of the race concept by measuring physical traits such as skin color, hair texture and nose shape. They further developed the science of genetics to examine if certain genes could be used to distinguish different populations of humans. But anthropologists and other scholars realized that these new scientific approaches did not prove the existence of a biological concept of race and instead viewed the term as a sociological construct with no inherent physical meaning.
The concept of race has been influenced by many other fields of study, including history, philosophy, anthropology, religion and sociology. Many scholars have studied the implications of the concept in terms of its role in historical and current events, such as slavery, segregation, discrimination, and immigration. These studies have helped to shape the contemporary discussion of race in sociology and other disciplines.
As a result of these studies, most academics and scientists now agree that the concept of a biological distinction between distinct human races does not exist, and that racial classification is simply a social construction with no scientific basis. However, significant scholarly debate continues to surround whether reproductive isolation (either through evolution or modern practices that bar interbreeding) may have generated genetic differences sufficient for the formation of distinct and discrete human groups.
Despite this disagreement, many individuals still identify with one or more of the traditional racial categories. For example, in the United States, majorities of blacks and whites across age groups say that their race is extremely or very important to them as a part of their identity.
The race experience is a powerful form of feedback for runners, helping them to identify and understand their strengths and weaknesses. It is for this reason that so many runners run A, B and C races to build towards their goal race. A race can help a runner discover that they have the ability to push themselves farther and faster than they ever imagined. It can also help them recognize that they might need to change their training techniques to meet their goals.