Classifying Mankind

Thus, with the exploration of the earth, human diversity was removed from the realm of fairy tale and myth. Peoples could be observed and studied. In time, scientists tried to classify them.

In 1735 Swedish botanist Carolus Linnaeus published his Systema Naturae. In it man was christened Homo sapiens, meaning “man the wise,” a term that one writer said was possibly the most oafishly arrogant definition ever given to any species! Linnaeus split mankind into five groups, which he described as follows:

AFRICAN: Black, phlegmatic, relaxed. Hair black, frizzy; skin silky; nose flat; lips tumid; crafty, indolent, negligent; anoints himself with grease; governed by caprice.

AMERICAN: Copper-colored, choleric, erect; hair black, straight, thick; nostrils wide; face harsh; beard scanty; obstinate, content free; paints himself with fine red lines; regulated by customs.

ASIATIC: Melancholy, rigid; hair black; eyes dark; severe, haughty, covetous; covered with loose garments; governed by opinions.

EUROPEAN: Fair, sanguine, brawny; hair yellow, brown, flowing; eyes blue; gentle, acute, inventive; covered with close vestments; governed by laws.

WILD MAN: Four-footed, mute, hairy.

Notice that while Linnaeus grouped mankind according to genetically acquired traits (skin color, hair texture, and so forth), he also made biased personality assessments. Linnaeus asserted that Europeans were “gentle, acute, inventive,” whereas he depicted Asiatics as “severe, haughty, covetous” and Africans as “crafty, indolent, negligent”!

Modern systems often classify humans in three groups based strictly on physical differences: (1) Caucasoids, with fair skin and straight or wavy hair; (2) Mongoloids, with yellowish skin and epicanthic folds around the eyes; and (3) Negroids, with dark skin and woolly hair. But not everybody fits neatly into one of these categories.

For example, the San and the Khoikhoi of southern Africa have coppery skin, woolly hair, and Mongoloid facial features. Some Indian peoples have dark skin but Caucasoid facial features. Aboriginal Australians have dark skin, but their woolly hair is often blond. Some Mongolians have Caucasoid eyes. There exists no clear dividing line.