Arguing that race is a biologically significant difference, the authors challenge the weight of academic opinion on the subject and suggest honesty rather than fear-mongering in light of growing evidence that the various races are significantly different. 20,000 first printing.

This text reviews the mass of information concerning the ways in which individuals and groups differ from each other. Reviews of research findings and interpretations are provided on: physical appearance, performance and health; cognitive abilities; personality; and development across the life span. Extensive treatment of foundations (historical, measurement, research methods, biological, social, and cultural) is also provided. Both normal and abnormal behaviors are considered. The book provides an interdisciplinary focus, including material from all the behavior and natural sciences, not just psychology, sociology, or biology.

It's obvious why only men develop prostate cancer and why only women get ovarian cancer. But it is not obvious why women are more likely to recover language ability after a stroke than men or why women are more apt to develop autoimmune diseases such as lupus. Sex differences in health throughout the lifespan have been documented. Exploring the Biological Contributions to Human Health begins to snap the pieces of the puzzle into place so that this knowledge can be used to improve health for both sexes. From behavior and cognition to metabolism and response to chemicals and infectious organisms, this book explores the health impact of sex (being male or female, according to reproductive organs and chromosomes) and gender (one's sense of self as male or female in society). Exploring the Biological Contributions to Human Health discusses basic biochemical differences in the cells of males and females and health variability between the sexes from conception throughout life. The book identifies key research needs and opportunities and addresses barriers to research. Exploring the Biological Contributions to Human Health will be important to health policy makers, basic, applied, and clinical researchers, educators, providers, and journalists-while being very accessible to interested lay readers.

People have always been xenophobic, but an explicit philosophical and scientific view of human racial difference only began to emerge during the modern period. Why and how did this happen? Surveying a range of philosophical and natural-scientific texts, dating from the Spanish Renaissance to the German Enlightenment, Nature, Human Nature, and Human Difference charts the evolution of the modern concept of race and shows that natural philosophy, particularly efforts to taxonomize and to order nature, played a crucial role. Smith demonstrates how the denial of moral equality between Europeans and non-Europeans resulted from converging philosophical and scientific developments, including a declining belief in human nature's universality and the rise of biological classification. The racial typing of human beings grew from the need to understand humanity within an all-encompassing system of nature, alongside plants, minerals, primates, and other animals. While racial difference as seen through science did not arise in order to justify the enslavement of people, it became a rationalization and buttress for the practices of trans-Atlantic slavery. From the work of François Bernier to G. W. Leibniz, Immanuel Kant, and others, Smith delves into philosophy's part in the legacy and damages of modern racism. With a broad narrative stretching over two centuries, Nature, Human Nature, and Human Difference takes a critical historical look at how the racial categories that we divide ourselves into came into being.

Geary (psychology and anthropology, U. of Missouri-Columbia) thinks culturally constructed gender roles alone cannot account for the differences in the social behavior of men and women. He turns to Darwin's theory of sexual selection as the best avenue for understanding. His main focus is how th etwo elements of competition between males and of females selecting mates has influenced human behavior over the centuries and across cultures.

This is the eBook of the printed book and may not include any media, website access codes, or print supplements that may come packaged with the bound book. This well-written, accessible, widely popular resource uses a stimulating inquiry approach to engage readers in discussion and debate around the most critical issues of diversity in America. Grounded in research from behavioral and social sciences–including education, psychology, history, sociology, biology, anthropology, women’s studies, and ethnic studies–the book uses the question and answer format to bring real meaning and understanding to the topics. The book’s conceptual framework focuses on culture, the individual, and institutions. The first section examines individual concerns, the second section describes the cultural/historical context, and the third section explores racism, classism, sexism, heterosexism, and ableism by addressing all three areas such as historical biases based on cultural norms, individual prejudices based on myths, misconceptions, and stereotypes about diverse groups, and how institutional discrimination advantages dominant group members and disadvantages oppressed groups. The last section focuses on changes already achieved or that need to be implemented in schools and other areas of society to create a more just society.

Explores the fluctuating relationship between human rights and humanitarianism and the changing nature of the politics and practices of humanity.