Redefining "Race"

It’s a fact that we are all different, and we always will be -- and this is a good thing. The word “race” has definitely retained a fairly dirty history, however, this doesn’t mean we should do away with the term all together, as Montagu proposed. Given our human ability to analyze differences in each other, we will always find some way to split ourselves into differing sects of the same species, however, this doesn’t have to be an issue of superiority as it has for so long. I agree with Locke in the notion that “race” can still be used to promote our differences in a positive way without tainting our relations with one another. While I agree with Locke’s idea of redefining the way we think about and use race, I still think he discredits a few important distinctions race can make between us. Locke seems to want to treat race purely as a cultural distinction as opposed to a biological distinction. I can mostly agree with this, however, I can’t tell if he’s wanting to exclude any kind of aesthetic distinctions between races in this proposed revision. I agree that purely aesthetic distinctions between humans can’t accurately account for a ‘solid’ method of identifying our differences, as we are much more complex than that, however, our physical differences should still be held as significant if we want to truly endorse what makes us unique. We are not purely defined by our appearances; however, to disregard the way we look is to ignore a part of who we are. Both physical and mental traits should be taken into account when defining any given individual, and thus, when defining a vast cluster of humans, we should not only take the cultural aspects of these peoples into account, but the physical distinctions that set them apart as well. I believe diversity should set us apart in order to bring us back together.  Diversity is something that should be cherished, as it’s not just what we all hold in common that makes our relations so beautiful, but what makes us different.