How to Argue With a Racist: History, Science, Race and Reality

by Adam Rutherford

In science, we use labels out of necessity. We try to apply rigorous criteria in our labelling to help us categorise the inherent qualities of a thing, so that we might understand its identity, its essential nature or its evolution, or so that we can design experiments that will help us understand its qualities. We call this ‘taxonomy’.

‘Nothing in biology makes sense except in the light of evolution’, said the Russian-American scientist Theodosius Dobzhansky, a mantra that should be as widely known as any.

Though papers in reputable journals via the process of peer review is the standard way of disseminating research, this is not a marker of some gold standard of truth. Instead, it is a signifier that the research is of a standard worthy of further academic discussion.