Naomi Zack’s perceptions of race reflect that there is no fundamental basis for racism. The author answers the historical question of race and its reality. He argues that race has no fundamental reality, as biology does not support the proposition. The real referent that could defend its existence is missing, and Zack considers it an ontological rendition. Philosophical underpinnings of race reveal the common notions of race and discuss the consequences of eliminating race from aspects of science and common sense discourse. Zack mentions, “The world will not merely become a more just place in issues of race, but it will no longer be the same world” (Zack, 115). The initial discussion of the author stresses metaphysical realism, uncovering the position of racism in society. The question of determining the fundamental basis of racism is interesting as it allows us to uncover it.
The philosophical concept intrigued me as it focuses on assessing the deeper meaning of race from a racial and sociological context. Race has no reality in human society in biological aspects, as Zack eliminates the scientific possibilities of race. The illegitimacy of race makes it an invalid proposition in the real world. The source was useful in determining The author identifies race as a socially constructed reality as she mentions, “any criterion used to classify members of a group at the same time defines membership in a group” (Zack, 100). I find the source interesting as it highlights how society uses race to classify the human race into different groups, such as black and white.
Zack, Noam. “Race, Class, and Money in Disaster.” Southern Journal of Philosophy 47 (2009): 84-103.
The primary source includes the book of Noam Zack on the reality of race. To study the proposition of race represented by the author, I searched Google Scholar. I used the scholarly database to search for the available work on racism by Noam Zack. I identified academic journals that discussed the topic of race and the concept of its prevalence according to the identified author. To choose the sources I first selected the topic of Zack’s perceptions of human race. After identifying the topic, I tried to find relevant sources that explain the views of the author on racism. The thorough analysis of the library database allowed us to determine the relevant sources sufficient for revealing the required information. I searched for the books written by Zack on the topics of race and recognized the most appropriate ones. The primary source includes the book “Philosophy of Science and Race” written by Noam Zack. To choose different sources, the researchers targeted a scholarly article from a literary database. The second source includes a literary journal on race. Both sources are relevant to the main research as they highlight the prevalence of race in human society. It also determines how the identified author perceives race and its application in the real world.
5. Thesis Statement
a) Although race remains one of the most widely discussed historical issues in the world, it has no fundamental basis.
b) Racism is a socially constructed reality that classifies humans into different groups according to status, money, and power.
6. Relation of the Source With the Problem
a) The primary source is related to the main problem as it addresses the basis of racism and its reality. The source attempts to determine the role of racism in society and its basis of existence. It highlights that the concept of racism lacks any scientific meaning because biology does not recognize any differences between humans in the context of race. It resolves the problem by identifying race as a socially constructed reality. The source contributes to the central problem as it represents race as a social issue. The book resolves the research problem as it states that the classification of the human race is the outcome of human beliefs and perceptions. People hold certain assumptions regarding human existence that are apparent in their conceptions of race. Race is based on similar assumptions or the essence that people hold towards society.
The question of race is not biological but of identity, as it influences the thinking and role of people belonging to different groups. The issue of identity does not reveal biological notions and proposes racism as a society’s creation. The prevalence of beliefs and racial stereotypes convinces society to think of race as a natural phenomenon but a self-created reality. The author presents the answer to the research question as he mentions, “specific racial factor[s]” known to be connected with other human traits distinctive to socially identified racial group” (Zack 26). The reason behind the factors that promote racial classification is purely psychological. The author of the source, through his argument, tries to solve the historical issue of race. There is no biological reality of race because it is a sociological concept.
To further explain the issue the author also shares his belief, “if there are no ‘races’ why do children have the same ‘race’ as their parents’?” (Zack 75). The author justifies that people who are born with black or white colours do not have biological reasoning. People associate colours with different races under the influence of society’s presumptions and beliefs. The answer in the source also states that the elimination of social constructs and beliefs can result in the removal of racism from society. The source is useful and contributes to the central research question as it explains that the elimination of race depends on the elimination of racial stereotypes and stigmas.
b) The second source includes a scholarly article that illustrates the role of society in the creation of racism and its implications. The concept of race is not a biological concept, according to the source, as it links racism with human beliefs and thoughts. The source solves the research problem as it highlights the factors that contribute to the prevalence of racial realities in society. The source contributes to the research question as it uncovers the role of human beliefs and assumptions in the promotion of racism. It identifies the factors of war and historical events, such as the role of Africans as slaves, that resulted in the division of human society into the black-white race.
The source represents the answer to the problem as the author states recognizes brutality and discrimination in words, “and what they depicted were violations of human dignity” (Zack 86). The source is effective in explaining race as a sociological issue because people carry different views towards races of black and white. Certain privileges that the dominant class holds over the inferior one reflect the assumption of race. The logic of social constrict is visible in the claims provided by the author throughout the article. The source is effective in illustrating the logic behind the prevalence of the human race, leading to the distinction between people according to their power, status, and money. A biological explanation is missing for identifying the logic of race or inequalities. The source is also helpful as it recognises race as a social issue and eliminates the biological reasoning behind its prevalence. The reason behind the classification of the human race in groups and classes is purely based on human assumptions, failing to justify its biological meaning.
6. Questions Uncovered in Sources
: a) The primary source represents more questions related to the original one. The questions apparent in the source include;
- Does the elimination of biological reasoning of race make it a non-prevalent phenomenon?
- Is it possible to get rid of racism due to the absence of biological logic in racism?
- Does sociological reasoning behind the proposition of race make it a less significant issue?
b) The analysis of the secondary source also leads to the following research questions;
- Is the idea behind human classification into groups purely a social concept?
- Does changing sociological constructs and beliefs of people regarding race sufficient to get rid of racial inequalities?
- Does lack of scientific evidence eliminate the realism in race, or does sociology provide better justification for its existence?
7. Concepts and Problems
a) The primary source highlights the issues that society faces due to the construction of race. The source does not provide biological reasoning behind prevalence and identifies it as a sociological problem. The problem is visible in the beliefs and attitudes of people who support the prevalence of race, leading to discrimination and inequalities. Social issues make the elimination of race difficult because changing presumptions and traditional views of society towards race is difficult. The source represents the problem that if the elimination of race were possible, society would not carry such propositions for longer.
b) The second source also uncovers the problem of race resulting from the negative beliefs that society holds towards specific groups. The problem of race is visible in the ever-changing attitudes of privileged people, resulting in the disadvantages and adversities of oppressed groups. The problem is also visible as non-changing attitudes represent a wider gap between two groups classified as whites and blacks. Race also influences the people of the next generations.
Work Cited
Zack, Naomi. Philosophy of Science and Race. New York, NY: Routledge, 2002.
Zack, Noam. “Race, Class, and Money in Disaster.” Southern Journal of Philosophy 47 (2009): 84-103.
