It is often claimed that humanity is split into separate races, a categorization that has adversely affected numerous ethnicities. In addition, the theory of evolution has bee historically utilized to support practices such as racial discrimination and slavery. What is modern science’s perspective on the idea of human races?Is it acceptable to treat people unfairly because of their race by citing biological distinctions as a
Diversity Among Humans
Every human being is unique. To see this, all we need to do is take a walk down a busy street. People differ from each other in skin color, hair color, eye color, and facial features. In our modern globalized society, we often come across people from other coutries whose physical features may vary significantly from our own.
Lighter skin is the most common in Europe, with even paler skin seen in the north. People from the Middle East usually have a darker skin tone, whereas the majority of people in Africa have dark skin.This also holds true for native Australians, Papuans, and Dravidians in India. In East and Southeast Asia, we see a diverse range of skin tones (usually lighter rather than darker), but there are common facial characteristics, particularly the identifiable epicanthic fold.1 The same is true for indigenous peoples of the Americas (mistakenly called Indians).
Skin Color – Terminology
These anthropological differences prompted researchers to create a classification of humans divided by race. In the 18th century, two classifications were created by the history department at the University of Göttingen. One was based on the names of Noah’s three sons: Shem, Ham, and Japheth. The other was strictly based on skin color. It was then that the idea of five human races emerged: white (Caucasoid), black (Negroid), yellow (Mongoloid), brown (“Malay”2) and red (American).
Over time, this terminology has gained widespread acceptance, particularly in relation to the white, black, and yellow populations. New and more detrimental racial theories arose from Darwin’s theory of evolution. Some scientists began categorizing certain races as less developed, even placing them on a scale of advancement below humans but above apes. This is how they rationalized racial discrimination, slavery, and even genocide.3
Fertility Tests
During the 19th century, some evolutionary researchers saw the Tasmanians as a connection between humans and apes, labeling them as a “missing link”.4 They viewed the Tasmanians as not belonging to the same species as humans. Some used this belief to excuse the crimes that occurred in the Black War from the 1820s to 1832.
Nevertheless, the Tasmanians ultimately proved their complete humanity. The ability of both male and female individuals to produce fertile offspring is a critical factor in defining a species. As time passed, Europeans and Tasmanians mixed in Tasmania, resulting in descendants who later had their own children. At present, the region is still home to the offspring of these intermarriages. Some might claim that in doing so, the Tasmanians successfully completed the “fertility test,” proving they were biologically equivalent to Europeans as Homo sapiens sapiens.5
What Is Melanin?
What causes Europeans, Tasmanians, and other ethnic groups worldwide to have such diverse differences in skin color? Researchers have pinpointed the key to this variety in a compound known as melanin. Melanin is a protein that is created by melanocytes, which are specialized cells found in the skin. After being created, it travels to specific skin cells to protect them by absorbing and blocking dangerous ultraviolet (UV) rays. Additionally, melanin acts as a pigment which provides color to the skin, hair, and eyes.
Two main types of melanin exist: eumelanin and pheomelanin. Eumelanin causes brown and black coloring, while pheomelanin creates hues varying from yellow to red. Geneticists have found that the synthesis of both forms of melanin is controlled by many genes, each containing multiple alleles. The extensive variety in human skin color among different populations is attributed to the genetic complexity.6
Humans Are Neither White nor Black
Do commonly used skin tone terms have validity? The conventional terminology used to describe skin color needs thorough evaluation, achievable with a simple experiment. Place your hand next to a piece of white paper if you are classified as having “white” skin. The sharp difference in skin color and the paper’s hue will probably be noticeable. Similarly, if you are labeled as having “black” skin, try matching your hand with an object that is actually black, like a computer or a book cover. This examination shows that human skin is not really white or black.
Fundamentally, every human beings have a common primary skin tone – different shades of brown7. Some of us have very light brown skin, while others have dark brown skin. Some may have a slightly yellowish tint to their brown, while others may have a light brown shade close to pale pink. But it’s all the same color, governed by the same pigment: melanin. Therefore, if it weren’t for the fact that terms like “white” and “black” make life a bit easier, we could easily do away with this nomenclature.8
Only One Human Race
The theory of human evolution was influential in shaping racial theories that justified slavery and racial discrimination. Nevertheless, there is no empirical evidence to support those beliefs. Modern science proves that all of humanity is one big family, where things like skin color and facial features don’t matter. This viewpoint is in accordance with the Bible’s teachings, particularly in the Book of Genesis, which states that all individuals come from a single human couple.9 This means that every person living on Earth—light-skinned or dark-skinned—shares common, fully human ancestors. Therefore, there are no separate human races; we are all one human race and one human family.
By the way, we recommend reading the articles:
- Eugenics and Its Consequences
- Self-Transcendence – The Forgotten Human Need
- Scientists and Philosophers Who Found Faith in God
- Unicorns in the Bible – Myth or Reality?
- What Happened to the Waters Above the Firmament?
Footnotes
1. Known as the Mongolian fold or epicanthus – it is what makes the eyes appear “slanted.”
2. Douglas, B. (2008) ‘“Novus Orbis Australis”: Oceania in the Science of Race, 1750-1850’, in Douglas, B. and Ballard, C. (eds.) Foreign Bodies: Oceania and the Science of Race 1750-1940. Canberra: ANU E Press, pp. 99–156.
3. Sanders, L. and Bates, G. (2011) ‘Racism – A Consequence of Evolution?’, Creation Ministries International, 7 April. Available at: https://creation.com/racism-consequence-evolution.
4. Ham, K. (2006) ‘Are There Really Different Races?’, in The New Answers Book 1, Chapter 17. Master Books. Available at: https://answersingenesis.org/racism/are-there-really-different-races/.
5. Lubenow, M. (2007) ‘The Neanderthals: Our Worthy Ancestors, Part II’, Answers in Depth, 2. Available at: https://answersingenesis.org/human-evolution/neanderthal/the-neandertals-our-worthy-ancestors-part-ii/.
6. Ham, K. op. cit.
7. Ham, K. (2020) ‘We’re Not “Black and White” – Everyone Is Brown’, Answers in Genesis, 11 August. Available at: https://answersingenesis.org/blogs/ken-ham/2020/08/11/were-not-black-and-white-everyone-is-brown/.
8. Ibid.
9. The Bible, New King James Version, 1982, Genesis 3,20; Acts 17,26.
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