Race: A Philosophical Introduction by Paul Taylor

Race-thinking: what is it? Isn’t the world past the issue of race? Do races even exist and if so, what does it mean to have a racial identity? Is colorblindness possible and how important is it? These are the questions Paul Taylor addresses in the book “Race: A Philosophical Introduction”. Paul Taylor is a self-proclaimed “radical constructionist” who will maintain that race is very real in our world and in the United States as a whole (p. 80). Taylor takes care to ensure he addresses the real needs concerning racial dynamics in the U.S., referencing historical events, prevailing policy affairs, and even pop culture to explain that everyone capable of forming opinions ought to have some sort of grasp of the concept of race-thinking. As Taylor will analyze, race and race-thinking “has shaped and continues to shape private interactions as well as the largest political choices” (p. 8). In other words, race-thinking encompasses everything we do and every interaction we have. In this paper I will attempt to interpret and expound Taylor’s views and definitions of race, concepts associated with race, and input my own interpretations as they are appropriate.
The first part of the text involves the analysis of race theory. Taylor opens the book by taking time to clarify human forms in such a way that simplifies the too-often rudimentary things which distinguish race from other notions. Taylor makes a point to thoroughly explain how philosophy, concerning race, “involves studying the consequences of race-talk, the practices of racial identification for which race-talk provides the resources” (p. 11). In other words, Taylor takes up the task of evaluating the meaning assigned to physical bodies by people. He does so by first answering the c...

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...s be conscious of our familiarity): endogamy, affirmative action, white supremacy, and the ethics concerning the above. Regarding endogamy: does a black man have an obligation to marry a black woman strictly for the purpose of preventing & encouraging unity against white supremacy? Are we too concerned with our individual goals that we abandon communal objectives by denouncing affirmative action and failing to realize the community effect this has on our educational freedoms? To Taylor, these are not individual attacks or insults, but rather carefully constructed racial patterns and habits. (p. 176). From my view, while these issues may not always seem personal or of interest to specific individuals, Taylor emphasizes the importance of cohesive societal awareness.

Works Cited

Taylor, Paul C. Race: A Philosophical Introduction. Cambridge, UK: Polity, 2004. Print.