ABSTRACT
This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book examines how humankind has tried to answer the questions about human origins and human differences from tribal myths, biblical theology, Greek philosophy, and Islamic geography; through to the beginning of anthropology as a science in the Enlightenment. It demonstrates that these societies also assigned behavioral characteristics to other racial groups, and explains the cause(s) of race differences given the knowledge of their day. The book describes the stage for the more controversial issues. It addresses the issues of just how much variation there is and why variation is necessary for evolution to take place. The book also examines race against the temper of the times and explores the story of the molecular revolution in anthropology, resolving the relationship among modern humans and other hominid species and among races within Homo sapiens.
