THINKING ABOUT RACE — WASHBURN 616 



we are sure that the continued study of fossil man will give clearer 

 insight into this problem. 



THINKING ABOUT RACIAL PROBLEMS 



Up to this point I have tried to present a view of racial classifica- 

 tions which stresses ends and methods, and have tried to interpret the 

 fossil record to give a perspective on the antiquity of races. Naturally, 

 in a short paper it is impossible to do more than indicate a point of 

 view. 



I do not believe that an understanding of the anatomy of race 

 will settle the social problem of racial discrimination. I agree en- 

 tirely with Benedict (1940) that this is only one part of the more 

 general problem of social discrimination. Nevertheless, if racial 

 classifications are to be discussed at all, it is necessary to try to under- 

 stand them first, and then to evaluate. Making serious errors is the 

 price which one pays for discussing race, without trying to understand 

 the anatomical situation. One can imagine Nazi biologists laughing 

 with delight if pamphlets containing misstatements are translated 

 and sent to Germany after the war. There is no easier way to discredit 

 a whole point of view which one does not like, than finding one or 

 two glaring errors. Therefore, if Ave are to discuss racial matters 

 with the Nazis, we had better be right. 



The following section of this paper is devoted to the analysis of a 

 series of problems which have risen repeatedly in recent discussions 

 about race. In each section my aim will be to try to clarify thinking, 

 not to supply final answers. 



HEAD FORM AS AN INDICATOR OF RACE 



It has been said recently that the form of the head (cephalic index) 

 is useless as an indicator of race. This is claimed because both 

 broad- and long-heads appear in Negroes, Mongolians, and Whites. 

 Now instead of taking an absolutist point of view, let us consider 

 the history of Europe for a moment. The early men were long- 

 headed. The migrations of round-headed people came from the east. 

 Some of these migrations are historically documented and recently 

 Candela (1942) has shown how certain ones explain the distribution 

 of blood-group B in Europe. The shape of the head is one, and only 

 one, of the anatomical features in which these migrants differed from 

 the earlier peoples. In considering the changes which have taken 

 place in the population of Europe, the cephalic index is useful. From 

 the pragmatic point of view, it is quite irrelevant whether the index 

 is useful in any other problem. We are not trying to prove whether 

 the cephalic index is good or bad in an absolute sense, but are merely 

 asking whether this index aids in unraveling a small part of the 

 complex history of Europe. 



