Putting races on the ontological map: a close look at Spencer’s ‘new biologism’ of race

Abstract

In a large and impressive body of published work, Quayshawn Spencer has meticulously articulated and defended a metaphysical project aimed at resuscitating a biological conception of race—one free from many of the pitfalls of biological essentialism. If successful, such a project would be highly rewarding, since it would provide a compelling response to philosophers who have denied the genuine existence of race while avoiding the very dangers that they sought to avoid. The aim of this paper is to subject those moves to careful scrutiny and thereby appraise the prospects for a new biologism about race.