Human Diversity

All people are equal but, as Human Diversity explores, all groups of people are not the same -- a fascinating investigation of the genetics and neuroscience of human differences. The thesis of Human Diversity is that advances in genetics and neuroscience are overthrowing an intellectual orthodoxy that has ruled the social sciences for decades. The core of the orthodoxy consists of three dogmas: - Gender is a social construct. - Race is a social construct. - Class is a function of privilege. The problem is that all three dogmas are half-truths. They have stifled progress in understanding the rich texture that biology adds to our understanding of the social, political, and economic worlds we live in. It is not a story to be feared. "There are no monsters in the closet," Murray writes, "no dread doors we must fear opening." But it is a story that needs telling. Human Diversity does so without sensationalism, drawing on the most authoritative scientific findings, celebrating both our many differences and our common humanity.

All people are equal but, as Human Diversity explores, all groups of people are not the same -- a fascinating investigation of the genetics and neuroscience of human differences. The thesis of Human Diversity is that advances in genetics and neuroscience are overthrowing an intellectual orthodoxy that has ruled the social sciences for decades. The core of the orthodoxy consists of three dogmas: - Gender is a social construct. - Race is a social construct. - Class is a function of privilege. The problem is that all three dogmas are half-truths. They have stifled progress in understanding the rich texture that biology adds to our understanding of the social, political, and economic worlds we live in. It is not a story to be feared. "There are no monsters in the closet," Murray writes, "no dread doors we must fear opening." But it is a story that needs telling. Human Diversity does so without sensationalism, drawing on the most authoritative scientific findings, celebrating both our many differences and our common humanity.

This book explores important chapters of past and recent African history from a multidisciplinary perspective. It covers an extensive time range from the evolution of early humans to the complex cultural and genetic diversity of modern-day populations in Africa. Through a comprehensive list of chapters, the book focuses on different time-periods, geographic regions and cultural and biological aspects of human diversity across the continent. Each chapter summarises current knowledge with perspectives from a varied set of international researchers from diverse areas of expertise. The book provides a valuable resource for scholars interested in evolutionary history and human diversity in Africa. Contributors are Shaun Aron, Ananyo Choudhury, Bernard Clist, Cesar Fortes-Lima, Rosa Fregel, Jackson S. Kimambo, Faye Lander , Marlize Lombard, Fidelis T. Masao, Ezekia Mtetwa, Gilbert Pwiti, Michèle Ramsay, Thembi Russell, Carina Schlebusch, Dhriti Sengupta, Plan Shenjere-Nyabezi, Mário Vicente.

' Human diversity, with its myriad of different conditions involving biology, psychology, and social structures, remains one of the biggest challenges — and opportunities — facing the species. With many government and private firms now having diversity or equality officers, programmes or committees, it is clear that human diversity is a cornerstone of policy-making at the very highest echelons. All this points to a need for proper scientific and medical information on this topic — not soft ''politically correct'' sociology. This book provides the hard facts on human similarities and differences, their causes and effects on people. It covers the whole range from normal to extreme human types, and presents — for the first time — much of the author''s 25 years of original research on the subject. It can also act as a family medical guide to aspects of human function, structure and disease. It covers many human topics in a humane and understandable fashion, providing much material for information and discussion. It can be used as a handbook or textbook on human diversity, but is mainly popular science for the general public. A special feature of this book is the 140 colour photos that illustrate the diversity of human life, nearly all taken by the author himself. Given the vast nature of the subject, the book seamlessly integrates relevant data from multiple disciplines including medicine, biology, anthropology, genetics, psychology, evolution, languages, sociology, history and geography. Even controversial subjects such as race, class and culture are tackled head-on with no-nonsense scientific rigour. Contents:Introduction: Scope of the Book, Types of Human Difference and Their CausesRaces and Inter-Mixing, Nationalities, Cultures, Castes, Classes and ReligionsHeight, Weight, Shape and ObesityDifferences Between Males and Females; Reproduction and Its Production of Genetic DiversityPersonal Choice, Cosmetic and Preventative Surgery, Clothing and Make-UpLanguages — A Rich but Frustrating DiversityNames and IdentityAlbinos, Colour Blindness and Height: How Human Characteristics are InheritedThe Brain, Intelligence, Mind, Personality, Mental Problems, Learning, Memory, Creativity, HappinessSex, Attraction, Reproduction, Twins, IncestDiseases, Disorders, Immunity, CancerEating, Drinking, Diet, Digestion, Liver, Cystic Fibrosis, Diabetes, Allergies, Food Intolerances, AnorexiaSkin, Skin Colour and DisordersThe Skeleton, Muscles, Osteoporosis, ME, Motor Neurone Disease, Muscular DystrophyHead, Face, Eyes, Ears, Sight, Hearing, Smell, TasteThe Heart; Heart Attacks, Strokes, High Blood PressureBlood, Blood Groups; Anaemia, Haemophilia, Leukaemia and Other Blood DisordersArms, Legs, Giants, Dwarfs, Arthritis, Left-HandednessKidneys, Urine, Bladder, Cystitis, Police Alcohol TestsLungs, Breathing, AsthmaDevelopment From the Fertilised Egg; Sexual and Later DevelopmentLongevity, Ageing, Birth and Death Rates, Immigration, Population StructureAbnormalities of Sex Chromosomes and Autosomes, Down Syndrome, Barr BodiesOpinions on the Characteristics of the Chinese, Japanese and English Readership: Students of medicine, biology, psychology and sociology, professionals working as diversity officers or in equalities, general readership. Key Features:This book is the only one on human diversity and its effects on peopleThe book contains several personal accounts, specifically written for it, by people who are different in some way. They give details of their difference and how it has affected them and those around them, e.g., having cystic fibrosis, suffering from suicidal depression, having a heart attack requiring a quadruple by-pass, having type 1 diabetes while being pregnant, or being ''severely dyslexic''Controversial subjects such as race, class and culture are tackled head-on with no-nonsense scientific rigourThe author is a very experienced and highly qualified scientist with medical interests who has researched this topic for 25 years. Many of his original findings on human diversity are published in this book for the first time. As a geneticist, he is able to write authoritatively on which human differences are genetic, which are environmental, and how genetics and environment interact for many characteristicsKeywords:Human;Diversity;Genetics;Environment;Health;Disease;Languages;Choice;Race;Culture “Really enjoyed reading your chapter which brings alive the brain! As I said, very gripping!” Dr Annabelle Dudley Consultant Psychiatrist Barnet, Enfield and Haringey Mental Health Trust '

Charles Darwin's "On the Origins of Species" had two principal goals: to show that species had not been separately created and to show that natural selection had been the main force behind their proliferation and descent from common ancestors. In "Coevolution," the author proposes a powerful new theory of cultural evolution--that is, of the descent with modification of the shared conceptual systems we call "cultures"--that is parallel in many ways to Darwin's theory of organic evolution. The author suggests that a process of cultural selection, or preservation by preference, driven chiefly by choice or imposition depending on the circumstances, has been the main but not exclusive force of cultural change. He shows that this process gives rise to five major patterns or "modes" in which cultural change is at odds with genetic change. Each of the five modes is discussed in some detail and its existence confirmed through one or more case studies chosen for their heuristic value, the robustness of their data, and their broader implications. But "Coevolution" predicts not simply the existence of the five modes of gene-culture relations; it also predicts their relative importance in the ongoing dynamics of cultural change in particular cases. The case studies themselves are lucid and innovative reexaminations of an array of oft-pondered anthropological topics--plural marriage, sickle-cell anemia, basic color terms, adult lactose absorption, incest taboos, headhunting, and cannibalism. In a general case, the author's goal is to demonstrate that an evolutionary analysis of both genes and culture has much to contribute to our understanding of human diversity, particularly behavioral diversity, and thus to the resolution of age-old questions about nature and nurture, genes and culture.

Race and Human Diversity is an introduction to the study of human diversity in both its biological and cultural dimensions. Robert L. Anemone examines the biological basis of human difference and how humans have biologically and culturally adapted to life in different environments. The book discusses the history of the race concept, evolutionary theory, human genetics, and the connections between racial classifications and racism. It invites students to question the existence of race as biology, but to recognize race as a social construction with significant implications for the lived experience of individuals and populations. This second edition has been thoroughly revised, with new material on human genetic diversity, developmental plasticity and epigenetics. There is additional coverage of the history of eugenics; race in US history, citizenship and migration; affirmative action; and white privilege and the burden of race. Fully accessible for undergraduate students with no prior knowledge of genetics or statistics, this is a key text for any student taking an introductory class on race or human diversity. Chapter 9 of this book is freely available as a downloadable Open Access PDF at http://www.taylorfrancis.com under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives (CC-BY-NC-ND) 4.0 license.

All people are equal but, as Human Diversity explores, all groups of people are not the same -- a fascinating investigation of the genetics and neuroscience of human differences. The thesis of Human Diversity is that advances in genetics and neuroscience are overthrowing an intellectual orthodoxy that has ruled the social sciences for decades. The core of the orthodoxy consists of three dogmas: - Gender is a social construct. - Race is a social construct. - Class is a function of privilege. The problem is that all three dogmas are half-truths. They have stifled progress in understanding the rich texture that biology adds to our understanding of the social, political, and economic worlds we live in. It is not a story to be feared. "There are no monsters in the closet," Murray writes, "no dread doors we must fear opening." But it is a story that needs telling. Human Diversity does so without sensationalism, drawing on the most authoritative scientific findings, celebrating both our many differences and our common humanity.

This book lays out some of the basic problems of a biological theory of race, in particular the arbitrariness of most racial classifications based on biological differences between populations. It provides the biological background to a consideration of the biology of human differences.