#16 Quayshawn Spencer: What is race?

In this episode, we speak with Dr. Quayshawn Spencer, Robert S. Blank Presidential Associate Professor of Philosophy at the University of Pennsylvania, about what race is, why he’s a radical racial pluralist, and what this could imply in science and medicine.

(00:00) Our introduction
(11:23) Interview begins
(20:21) Methodology: What are philosophers of race trying to do?
(32:05) From aspiring physician-scientist to philosopher of race
(41:08) Becoming a realist about race
(44:44) Human continental populations and the OMB racial classification scheme
(1:00:43) The national meaning of “race” in US racial discourse
(1:12:35) Why not be a pure social constructionist?
(1:17:04) Implications: racial inequalities
(1:20:59) Implications: diversifying clinical trials
(1:39:46) Pluralizing race talk

Used or referenced:

• Spencer, “A Radical Solution to...”
• Spencer, “A More Radical Solution...”
• Glasgow, Haslanger, Jeffers, and Spencer, What is Race?
• Haslanger, Resisting Reality
• OMB, “About OMB’s Interagency Technical...”
• Schwartz et al., “Why Diverse Clinical Trial...”
• AMA Press Release: “New AMA policies recognize...”
• AMA Policy on Civil and Human Rights: “Elimination of Race as a Proxy...”
• Wikipedia: “Blood quantum laws,” “Atlantic slave trade,” “Nazi racial theories,” and “Native American Genocide in...” 
• History: “How Native Hawaiians Have...”
• Karp, “Redlining and Lead Poisoning”
• Borrell et al., “Race and Genetic Ancestry...”
• Jih et al., “Using appropriate body mass...”
• Haam et al., “Diagnosis of Obesity”
• Chang Sun et al., “Genetics of Body Fat Distribution”
• Block, “How Heritability Misleads About Race”
• Herrnstein and Murray, The Bell Curve
• Ásta, Categories We Live By

Bio(un)ethical is a bioethics podcast written and edited by Leah Pierson and Sophie Gibert, with production support by Audiolift.co. Our music is written by Nina Khoury and performed by Social Skills. We are supported by a grant from Amplify Creative Grants.