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Why Race Matters by Michael Levin
This is the most rigorous, comprehensive treatment of race differences ever published. Philosopher Michael Levin's classic work first appeared in 1997 but quickly went out of print. Used copies sold for as much as $500.00. New Century Foundation has now published a completely reset, corrected edition, with a foreword by Jared Taylor. Anyone with an interest in race and the courage to follow the scientific data wherever they lead will find a goldmine of information, analysis, and wisdom in this classic treatment of one of the most profoundly important—and taboo—subjects of our time. Experts in the field have lavished praise on Why Race Matters : Professor Michael Levin's analytical tour de force , remarkably engrossing, often exciting, differs uniquely from other books dealing with racial differences. Levin views the various complex arguments regarding the reality and nature of race and race differences, not from any of the typical specialized viewpoints of anthropology, education, evolution, genetics, psychology, or sociology, or from any social or political ideology, but from the sweeping vantage point of the philosophy of science, his specialty as a well-recognized professor of philosophy. Levin's impressive technical mastery of the vast empirical subject matter is evinced in his book's amazingly broad and detailed scope and analytical depth. But what I consider the most valuable and exciting feature of Levin's treatment of every facet of the race issue is the consistent critical stance his incisive intellect brings to every aspect, based entirely on his keen understanding of the philosophy of science. It is definitely a "must read" for all serious students of this subject. — Arthur R. Jensen, U.C. Berkeley Philosopher Michael Levin has delivered one of the most authoritative and incisive treatises ever written on the importance of race. Why Race Matters is must reading for anyone interested in race, IQ, crime, welfare, affirmative action, and multiculturalism. Levin analyzes statistics, psychological test scores, and behavioral genetics data, brilliantly illuminating the logical pitfalls in so much of what is written about race. His powerful logic digs deep and his courageous inferences vault forward. With panache and occasional humor, Levin seems to be always on target. — J. Philippe Rushton, University of Western Ontario Why Race Matters does everything the title promises—it removes all illusions about the insignificance of race, and explains what racial differences mean for a multiracial society. It is a thorough, overwhelmingly convincing treatment of America's most serious and least understood problem. — Jared Taylor, Editor, American Renaissance About the author
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First published June 1, 1997
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About the author
Michael Levin
179 books19 followersMichael Levin is Professor of Philosophy, City College of New York.
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
August 17, 2021
Marcus Dooley on GR put it well when he described this book as the "greatest treatise on race ever written". Levin not only looks at the empirical facts, but he uses his superior intellect to deduce public policy, rational action, and make very interesting conjectures. The best aspect of Levin's writing is his use of metaphors and comparisons to elucidate the points he makes. They strip one of societal prejudices and allow one to make correct conclusions based on the evidence.
Highly recommended to intelligent people who can constrain moral fervor and digest technical, but very rewarding information!
Highly recommended to intelligent people who can constrain moral fervor and digest technical, but very rewarding information!
December 19, 2019
10/10 - one of my six perfect ratings.
This book is the definitive enchiridion for anyone interested in human biodiversity.
This book is the definitive enchiridion for anyone interested in human biodiversity.
November 25, 2016
Well, I was honestly a little worried that I would end up with people calling me racist for even having read this book, let alone reviewing it. Then I remembered I don't really care.
I imagine that most people pick up this book because it *seems* to use pretty good factual evidence to logically confirm their racial biases. There are a multitude of books that run the counter argument to this novel too. It would be interesting to read them side by side.
But, I did find this novel interesting and it wasn't really because of the race talk (which is hard to put to the side in a book called "Why Race Matters") it was because of the "unnecessary morality society places on different traits" argument Levin puts forth.
"More intelligent and cooperative groups are seen to be just that—more intelligent and cooperative. There is no cosmic perspective from which greater intelligence and cooperativeness are “better,” just as there is no cosmic perspective from which wings are “better” than fins. The (groups) simply differ, in abilities (and) behavior."
He went quite a bit more, but I do believe there is an interesting perspective in all this. As a society we often look at any minority group (not just racial, but subcultural, ideological, religious, sexual orientation, etc) and judge whether they are doing well based on income and societal position. There is this idea that if one is not a CEO of a fortune 500 company, a high ranking government official, or a celebrity than you have failed somehow. Levin's argument (without the race bit) is that whether you are living life successfully could be judged by other standards-- self esteem, personal relationships, emotional well-being, satisfaction, health and athletic ability. That maybe we should stop placing such value on money and power as the only way to judge a group's success.
There is the counter argument that money and power control everything, and therefore are important in the rubric of success. I get that. But I do think it is also a valid point that maybe we need to change the rubric itself to be more inclusive and to better exemplify what being a functioning, healthy and successful person is. There is more to this book than just this argument, however this is the one that I found most value in.
At any rate, I found the book interesting but I can understand why people find it incredibly offensive.
I imagine that most people pick up this book because it *seems* to use pretty good factual evidence to logically confirm their racial biases. There are a multitude of books that run the counter argument to this novel too. It would be interesting to read them side by side.
But, I did find this novel interesting and it wasn't really because of the race talk (which is hard to put to the side in a book called "Why Race Matters") it was because of the "unnecessary morality society places on different traits" argument Levin puts forth.
"More intelligent and cooperative groups are seen to be just that—more intelligent and cooperative. There is no cosmic perspective from which greater intelligence and cooperativeness are “better,” just as there is no cosmic perspective from which wings are “better” than fins. The (groups) simply differ, in abilities (and) behavior."
He went quite a bit more, but I do believe there is an interesting perspective in all this. As a society we often look at any minority group (not just racial, but subcultural, ideological, religious, sexual orientation, etc) and judge whether they are doing well based on income and societal position. There is this idea that if one is not a CEO of a fortune 500 company, a high ranking government official, or a celebrity than you have failed somehow. Levin's argument (without the race bit) is that whether you are living life successfully could be judged by other standards-- self esteem, personal relationships, emotional well-being, satisfaction, health and athletic ability. That maybe we should stop placing such value on money and power as the only way to judge a group's success.
There is the counter argument that money and power control everything, and therefore are important in the rubric of success. I get that. But I do think it is also a valid point that maybe we need to change the rubric itself to be more inclusive and to better exemplify what being a functioning, healthy and successful person is. There is more to this book than just this argument, however this is the one that I found most value in.
At any rate, I found the book interesting but I can understand why people find it incredibly offensive.
October 11, 2024
Very technical in its report of racial disparities in various areas.
December 22, 2022
Excellent! Refreshing and Mind Opening.
Michael Levin has written an excellent survey here of not only how and why the races differ, but why it matters (in personal life and public policy). As a philosophy professor he seems quite willing to take on a subject fraught with bias and fear (taboos and blinders) dispassionately and logically. This will undoubtedly shock and offend those who haven't acknowledged and questioned their biases (often accepted without question from society - via education and media). So Levin writes with all that in mind, making a case for looking at the world more openly, more intelligently. And he doesn't dumb it down. As you'd hope from a college professor, it's a rigorous discussion.
"... a preoccupation with blame leads both the Left and Right to conflate questions of cause with questions of fault. The cause question is, simply, "Why do the races differ?" The complex fault question is, "What malice or folly created these differences?" For the Left it is malicious racism, for the Right it is foolish welfare, with both sides ignoring the possibility that human action has nothing to do with it. The upshot is scolding and lecturing, as the Left scolds whites for "racism" of which they may be innocent, the Right lectures everyone about a work ethic blacks may be unable to follow, and the Left scolds the Right right back for "blaming the victim."
"Finally, both Left and Right see the failure of blacks to live like whites as a problem. Certainly, blacks are less prosperous than whites. But this relative shortfall does not imply that blacks are deprived in any absolute sense; a black with a TV set and flush toilet has treasures undreamed of by the Pharaohs. Should the black/white discrepancy be an expression of more basic biological differences, it is not clear why anything must be done about it. After all, it is not a problem that owls live in trees while gophers dwell underground, except perhaps for an owl confined to a burrow.... Behavior evolved in Africa may be maladaptive in urban societies created by Caucasians, making life in white society a problem for blacks and the frequent conflict between black behavior and white norms a problem for everyone. But sheer differences in prosperity are not themselves bad." (p. 13)
What emerges from all the studies is that there IS a clear difference in black and white aptitude measurements and performance (grades, levels of education, test scores, career choices, income and status). The big question is; is it nurture ("environmentalism") or nature ("hereditarianism"), or a combination of the two that causes it? The fact that in America, on average, blacks consistently underperform whites by about 15% (and those of mixed race fall neatly between) is very hard to explain from the environmentalist camp (although they dogmatically hold to such views). They are a lot easier to explain as inherent genetic (hereditary) differences (made better or worse by environmental conditions).
The reason this matters is we are constantly being told by the nurture crowd (the majority of "liberal" America) that the reason there is the gap between racial ability and performance is the history of oppression and racism ("systemic racism"), which is the only really valid reason they could possibly come up with - since the gap is consistently measurable across the board, and so it has to be something "systemic". But this is (as it feels like) trying to force a square peg in a round hole. America isn't any more racist than other countries (and perhaps is LESS than most), it's just a country with a large diversity of races and ethnicities and high ideals/expectations of "equality." In other words, we (as a nation), are trying to make one group be like the other ("equal"), and since it's hard to raise one up (and perhaps impossible beyond that 15% difference), what we're getting is a dumbing down of the other.
Even though written almost 25 years ago, Levin's book is as timely now as ever. Perhaps even more timely... yet due to the closed-minded and oppressive PC tendencies of today quite unlikely to be written let alone published today!
So why does race matter, because it does (acting as a short-hand proxy and convenient indicator for a whole world of information - genetic and cultural, conscious and unconscious).
"Nobody would care about race if blacks and whites were alike in every way except skin color. But they aren't and that is why race is noticed." (p.342)
Perhaps my favorite part is at the very end where Levin takes about 10 pages to sum up his view of a way to deal with the issue of race in America – along classical liberal lines – as if he was the president addressing the nation; calling for an end to affirmative action and a gradual but quick ending of welfare for those who have abused it and become dependent upon it, and an embrace of a post-racial, post-victim “realistic race blindness” society which clearly accepts and acknowledges the inherent inequality (ie inherent differences) of the races. It’ll never happen of course, but it’s what a mature and truth loving society would do.
Michael Levin has written an excellent survey here of not only how and why the races differ, but why it matters (in personal life and public policy). As a philosophy professor he seems quite willing to take on a subject fraught with bias and fear (taboos and blinders) dispassionately and logically. This will undoubtedly shock and offend those who haven't acknowledged and questioned their biases (often accepted without question from society - via education and media). So Levin writes with all that in mind, making a case for looking at the world more openly, more intelligently. And he doesn't dumb it down. As you'd hope from a college professor, it's a rigorous discussion.
"... a preoccupation with blame leads both the Left and Right to conflate questions of cause with questions of fault. The cause question is, simply, "Why do the races differ?" The complex fault question is, "What malice or folly created these differences?" For the Left it is malicious racism, for the Right it is foolish welfare, with both sides ignoring the possibility that human action has nothing to do with it. The upshot is scolding and lecturing, as the Left scolds whites for "racism" of which they may be innocent, the Right lectures everyone about a work ethic blacks may be unable to follow, and the Left scolds the Right right back for "blaming the victim."
"Finally, both Left and Right see the failure of blacks to live like whites as a problem. Certainly, blacks are less prosperous than whites. But this relative shortfall does not imply that blacks are deprived in any absolute sense; a black with a TV set and flush toilet has treasures undreamed of by the Pharaohs. Should the black/white discrepancy be an expression of more basic biological differences, it is not clear why anything must be done about it. After all, it is not a problem that owls live in trees while gophers dwell underground, except perhaps for an owl confined to a burrow.... Behavior evolved in Africa may be maladaptive in urban societies created by Caucasians, making life in white society a problem for blacks and the frequent conflict between black behavior and white norms a problem for everyone. But sheer differences in prosperity are not themselves bad." (p. 13)
What emerges from all the studies is that there IS a clear difference in black and white aptitude measurements and performance (grades, levels of education, test scores, career choices, income and status). The big question is; is it nurture ("environmentalism") or nature ("hereditarianism"), or a combination of the two that causes it? The fact that in America, on average, blacks consistently underperform whites by about 15% (and those of mixed race fall neatly between) is very hard to explain from the environmentalist camp (although they dogmatically hold to such views). They are a lot easier to explain as inherent genetic (hereditary) differences (made better or worse by environmental conditions).
The reason this matters is we are constantly being told by the nurture crowd (the majority of "liberal" America) that the reason there is the gap between racial ability and performance is the history of oppression and racism ("systemic racism"), which is the only really valid reason they could possibly come up with - since the gap is consistently measurable across the board, and so it has to be something "systemic". But this is (as it feels like) trying to force a square peg in a round hole. America isn't any more racist than other countries (and perhaps is LESS than most), it's just a country with a large diversity of races and ethnicities and high ideals/expectations of "equality." In other words, we (as a nation), are trying to make one group be like the other ("equal"), and since it's hard to raise one up (and perhaps impossible beyond that 15% difference), what we're getting is a dumbing down of the other.
Even though written almost 25 years ago, Levin's book is as timely now as ever. Perhaps even more timely... yet due to the closed-minded and oppressive PC tendencies of today quite unlikely to be written let alone published today!
So why does race matter, because it does (acting as a short-hand proxy and convenient indicator for a whole world of information - genetic and cultural, conscious and unconscious).
"Nobody would care about race if blacks and whites were alike in every way except skin color. But they aren't and that is why race is noticed." (p.342)
Perhaps my favorite part is at the very end where Levin takes about 10 pages to sum up his view of a way to deal with the issue of race in America – along classical liberal lines – as if he was the president addressing the nation; calling for an end to affirmative action and a gradual but quick ending of welfare for those who have abused it and become dependent upon it, and an embrace of a post-racial, post-victim “realistic race blindness” society which clearly accepts and acknowledges the inherent inequality (ie inherent differences) of the races. It’ll never happen of course, but it’s what a mature and truth loving society would do.
April 30, 2021
An immensely unapologetic and barbed work, which refreshingly does justice to at the very least legitimise hereditarian views on racial differences, a position which has unfortunately become so beyond the pale in recent times as to be forbidden from being discussed despite its intuitive reasonableness. Levin’s background in philosophy allows for a smoother and more dispassionate dissection of much of the available empirics on the topic, resulting in almost 700 pages of constant confutation of persistently emotive fallacies which continue to plague current discourse to the present day.
Would recommend for open minded readers with an understanding of basic philosophy and behavioural genetics, as some particularly brilliant sections may be difficult to understand sans prior exposure to basic concepts in each field.
Would recommend for open minded readers with an understanding of basic philosophy and behavioural genetics, as some particularly brilliant sections may be difficult to understand sans prior exposure to basic concepts in each field.
March 2, 2021
Kickass book!
March 24, 2022
This book is as subtle as a sledgehammer... though, considering the subject matter, its unlikely to do anything less.
Like many other books on this subject, it is very America-centred and makes seldom mention of the subject matter in countries outside of the US, but nevertheless Michael Levin goes into excruciating detail about the history of race relations in America, the cultural and philosophical differences between the races, and the genuine issues that have yet to be resolved in America even after more than half a century after the success of the Civil Rights movement and the cultural and legislative shift towards racial egalitarianism.
Although Levin provides little in the way of a solution to these ongoing issues, he does point out the direction it must take first before America as a whole can heal the racial rift; acknowledge that there are clear and definable differences between the races.
Like many other books on this subject, it is very America-centred and makes seldom mention of the subject matter in countries outside of the US, but nevertheless Michael Levin goes into excruciating detail about the history of race relations in America, the cultural and philosophical differences between the races, and the genuine issues that have yet to be resolved in America even after more than half a century after the success of the Civil Rights movement and the cultural and legislative shift towards racial egalitarianism.
Although Levin provides little in the way of a solution to these ongoing issues, he does point out the direction it must take first before America as a whole can heal the racial rift; acknowledge that there are clear and definable differences between the races.
August 18, 2023
Excellent book. Very concise, and despite having a clear empiricist purview the empirical parts were is acceissble for expert and layman alike. Controversial as this topic is the writing never skimmed over important parts for political correctness' sake nor was it an apologetical pamphlet. The book bears many memorable sections and quotable sentences which can be useful in the context of nature vs nurture debates.
Read
April 21, 2025I read the reviews, not the book. I was just curious about the author. A couple of updates on the topic for anyone interested:
Biological Reality: What Genetics Has Taught Us about Race (2025)
https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20...
Critical Race Theory, ca. 2019. Listed in the title of many books here.
Biological Reality: What Genetics Has Taught Us about Race (2025)
https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20...
Critical Race Theory, ca. 2019. Listed in the title of many books here.
June 13, 2018
The author did a terrible job. Just truly bad.
January 19, 2020
Excellent logical and statistical analysis.
October 5, 2020
Excellent book, lots of controversy.
March 12, 2024
Excellent. I recommend this book
March 27, 2024
Excellent book.
abandoned
November 18, 2017Well, I tried. And I may try again later. But at about the 6% mark, I hit an extended explanation of statistics (or as we called it in college: sadistics). I had the same trouble this time as I did the first time I tried to understand this subject. It was just slightly over my head and I felt like if I could sit up just a little bit taller I could catch some of it. It's a long enough section that it's going to take all day to read it. And given my proven problem with understanding the subject matter, I don't want to put it down in the middle and come back to it the next day.
I suppose you might suggest skipping that section and reading the rest of the book, but I think that might not work. I think there will probably be other sections of the book that will depend on my having read this information, even if I don't completely understand it.
Anyway, if I come back to this book, I'll let you know. In the meantime, buyer beware.
I suppose you might suggest skipping that section and reading the rest of the book, but I think that might not work. I think there will probably be other sections of the book that will depend on my having read this information, even if I don't completely understand it.
Anyway, if I come back to this book, I'll let you know. In the meantime, buyer beware.
August 21, 2016
A must read for anyone interested in race. Levin's book is the greatest treatise on race ever written. I couldn'd recommend Why Race Matters more highly.
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews