Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community - View Single Post - What's the closest possible genetic relation I could have to my Korean girlfriend?

raveneye · 04-16-2005, 09:18 AM

On the "race" issue (mainly in response to jorgelito): there are many separate questions being asked here, and I'll try to answer a few briefly.

First, every two people are genetically different, even within any so-called "race". If real, demonstrable genetic differences (sometimes with medical implications) are enough to define two people as separate races, then everybody is a different race. That's because everybody is genetically unique (except for identical twins), and that uniqueness is expressed in all sorts of fundamental ways (intelligence, creativity, disease susceptibility, etc.).

Second is the idea that we can use certain phenotypic differences as "badges" that indicate something fundamentally different about a person (this is logically separate from the idea of "race" but is usually bundled up in the "race" idea when applied to humans). Research in human genetics has shown that the phenotypic differences that are commonly used to define the "races" are trivial, based on a few genes whose only consequence is to very slightly change the way people look. Because our brains have modules that are very sophisticated in detecting and remembering small differences among peoples faces, it doesn't take more than one or two genes to cause changes in people's appearance that are objectively tiny but psychologically very large (to the human observer).

Certainly there are some necessary biochemical consequences of some of these differences. For example, people with a high skin melanin content are at a little more risk for folic acid deficiency (because folic acid is made from the same precursor as melanin). But that says nothing about "race". People with red hair are at more risk from skin cancer, but that doesn't mean red-haired people are a different "race".

Third, there is no biological barrier to reproduction among the "races". They can share all their trivial differences ad infinitum. It's all one big gene pool, and everybody is equally able to participate in it. The only barriers are purely social or psychological.

04-16-2005, 09:18 AM	#23 (permalink)
raveneye Born Against	On the "race" issue (mainly in response to jorgelito): there are many separate questions being asked here, and I'll try to answer a few briefly. First, every two people are genetically different, even within any so-called "race". If real, demonstrable genetic differences (sometimes with medical implications) are enough to define two people as separate races, then everybody is a different race. That's because everybody is genetically unique (except for identical twins), and that uniqueness is expressed in all sorts of fundamental ways (intelligence, creativity, disease susceptibility, etc.). Second is the idea that we can use certain phenotypic differences as "badges" that indicate something fundamentally different about a person (this is logically separate from the idea of "race" but is usually bundled up in the "race" idea when applied to humans). Research in human genetics has shown that the phenotypic differences that are commonly used to define the "races" are trivial, based on a few genes whose only consequence is to very slightly change the way people look. Because our brains have modules that are very sophisticated in detecting and remembering small differences among peoples faces, it doesn't take more than one or two genes to cause changes in people's appearance that are objectively tiny but psychologically very large (to the human observer). Certainly there are some necessary biochemical consequences of some of these differences. For example, people with a high skin melanin content are at a little more risk for folic acid deficiency (because folic acid is made from the same precursor as melanin). But that says nothing about "race". People with red hair are at more risk from skin cancer, but that doesn't mean red-haired people are a different "race". Third, there is no biological barrier to reproduction among the "races". They can share all their trivial differences ad infinitum. It's all one big gene pool, and everybody is equally able to participate in it. The only barriers are purely social or psychological.