Bill's initial post exemplifies what is called "selective" sourcing." Using the proper sequence of sources, carefully selected, one can "prove" that A=Ω. Did and do some racialists and ultranationalists misuse Herder, Darwin, and even the Bible? Yes.
Using Bill's "logic," I could produce an essay on how the Grimm Brothers led directly to the Anschluss and invasion of Poland, and then to the Manhattan Project and from thence to nuclear profliferation and from there status quo sine bellum with China which leads to the rise of WalMart.
So, Germanic linguistics leads to cheap Chinese trinkets in US stores. Mystery solved!
I have an old conference paper that I presented in 2002 in which I treat the 6 discrete modes of rearing slave children. In it, I avoid addressing the psychological ramifications of childhood slavery, as that has been treated to death, especially by Wilma King, however, I do insist that the white masters seeing white and black/bond children develop side by side with the average rate of development exactly the same in every area from walking to talking forced the "inferior racially" theory of white domination to be false before their eyes, hence they fell back on the legalistic, cultural, historical and religious apologies.
Biologically speaking, there is no such thing as "race," as a separation of species. The differences between what we term "races" is so superficial that they would not be worth mentioning were it not so obvious that it is a mere mechanism for differentiation. It is odd that we speak of the "markers" of race as beign skin color, when in reality, it is a combo of hair texture and color, skin color, eye folds or lack thereof, and "scissor shaped incisors".
There are Hopi and Navajo and other First Nations who it is hard to tell if they are Japanese or Siberian or what. We have no idea what "race" the ancient Egyptians were before Grecian and Roman contact and then Arab. Some Ethopians are extremely "caucasoid," and look very "Arab," while others are clearly from Central or Western African rootstock.
Oddly enough, the word "race" comes from the French version of the Latin "radix" which means "root." The is the same root in "race," "radical" when referring to exponents, and the roots of a plant.
What is race? It is concentrated genetics in open view in biology. In sociology and politics, it is much, much more.
What is my "race?" Family ancestry says mostly Celtic, as evidenced by my names, but my blood type is B- which is exceedingly rare except in the Mediterranean Coast in both Africa and Eurasia, yet family lore insists that my ancestors came from Cornwall, Wales, and SE England and Scotland. My hair looks like a mass of bird's nest gone awry until I hack it off in disgust. I tan like a Puerto Rican in one week of decent sun. Yet, I am White. The census and the school records and society say that I am.
Well, we call my dog Mother Maybelle a "rat terrier" for lack of a better term, loves to chase small game, but no wiry coat, shiny and longish like a spaniel, but black and white like a Jack Russell. I don't care what you call her, just call her "Good Girl" and give her a piece of pizza.