Race and Ethnic Relations Essay

Open, View, and/or
Download this Document

Total Length: 669 words ( 2 double-spaced pages)

Total Sources: 1

Page 1 of 2

Polygenism, which posits that humans stem from a diversity of races and, therefore, have distinctions, is the converse of monogenism that posits that all of humanity is from one undifferentiated origin.

Whilst it is true that we each have our distinct cultural background and that these cultural backgrounds can be, occasionally, hugely different in values, practices, ways of thinking, opening, beliefs and so forth, monogenism, such as Christianity, nonetheless believes that we descend from one single set of parents i.e. Adam and Eve and have all been created by God. Banton sees 'race as descent' as the differences between races that could have likely occurred through moral (i.e. social / cultural) or physical (i.e. genetic or behavioral) causes. These differences exist. Monogenists believe that men came from the same source and had acquired these differences later due to environmental and correlated changes, whilst polygenists believe that men were different to begin with and these differences sharpened as their genetic pool grew.

In this way, there is a difference between the categories of 'race as type" and race as descent," where 'race as descent' is seen as more of a physical nature that can change by inter-breeding, whilst 'race as type' divided homo sapiens into different subtypes, species, or subspecies.

Stuck Writing Your "Race and Ethnic Relations" Essay?

View All Our Example Race and Ethnic Relations Essay

Have A Custom Example Essay Written

'Typologists' saw man as a genus divided into types with each type able to flourish best in a certain geographical zone just as fauna and flora is. Many 'typologists' argued that races had to be kept distinct for thus nature ordered.

Darwin was a firm monogenist claiming in his book The Descent of Man (1871) that all men came from undifferentiated source and gradually evolved to their current status. This became known as the single-origin hypothesis. A chapter in that work was even dedicated to refuting polygenism and showing the common ancestry of all races. Individuals adapted to the region where they lived and thus assumed distinct characteristics but these characteristics could be altered by migration. In this way, Darwin contradicted 'typologists' who saw racial….....

Show More ⇣

     Open the full completed essay and source list


OR

     Order a one-of-a-kind custom essay on this topic


sample essay writing service

Cite This Resource:

Latest APA Format (6th edition)

Copy Reference
"Race And Ethnic Relations" (2011, September 22) Retrieved June 4, 2026, from
https://www.aceyourpaper.com/essays/race-ethnic-relations-45655

Latest MLA Format (8th edition)

Copy Reference
"Race And Ethnic Relations" 22 September 2011. Web.4 June. 2026. <
https://www.aceyourpaper.com/essays/race-ethnic-relations-45655>

Latest Chicago Format (16th edition)

Copy Reference
"Race And Ethnic Relations", 22 September 2011, Accessed.4 June. 2026,
https://www.aceyourpaper.com/essays/race-ethnic-relations-45655
   

Open, View, and/or
Download this Document
order custom essay example