Rehabilitating Biological Race Concept

Updated: 2026.05.05 1M ago 2 sources
A careful philosophical and conceptual defense can show that older biological definitions of 'race' (e.g., Dobzhansky's) remain coherent and resilient to many modern eliminative critiques. This reframes some social‑construct arguments as conflating extra baggage with the technical biological category. — If accepted, this argument would shift scientific and policy conversations about genetics, medicine, and diversity from blanket eliminativism to more fine‑grained distinctions that could affect research, clinical practice, and public messaging.

Sources

Are David Reich's DNA Discoveries Finally Sinking In?
Steve Sailer 2026.05.05 85% relevant
The article argues Reich’s book and recent high‑profile interviews are helping legitimize genetic explanations for population differences — directly matching the idea that biological race concepts are being rehabilitated in public debate (actor: David Reich; artifact: Who We Are and How We Got Here; event: Patel interview).
Race: a social destruction of a biological concept | Biology & Philosophy | Springer Nature Link
2010.01.12 100% relevant
Neven Sesardić’s 2010 Biology & Philosophy article explicitly critiques contemporary social‑constructivist eliminations of race and defends Dobzhansky‑style biological definitions.
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