<p>Who is the author of Superior?</p>

<p>The author of Superior is Angela Saini.</p>

Science

Superior Book Summary - Superior Book explained in key points

Listen to the Intro

00:00

Superior summary

Name: Superior
Rating: 4.2 (68 reviews)
Author: Angela Saini

Angela Saini

The Return of Race Science

4.2 (68 ratings)

28 mins

Brief summary

Superior by Angela Saini explores the history and science of race, challenging the idea that certain races are inherently superior. It exposes the flaws in the concept of race while celebrating our shared humanity.

Topics

Anthropology Class

Table of Contents

Superior
Summary of 8 key ideas

Audio & text in the Blinkist app

Key idea 1 of 8

What’s in it for me? Investigate the history of race science and debunk the myths surrounding it.

When you enter a large museum like the Met in New York or the British Museum in London, which section do you head to first?

If you’re like the author, you probably go straight for the area where you can find your ancestors represented – so, for her, the Indian galleries. If you’re Chinese, perhaps you dash to see the artifacts from the Tang dynasty. And if you’re Greek, you might hurry to gaze at the Athenian marble statues.

For many, museums are places we go to find ourselves, to feel connected to wherever we or our ancestors came from. But why, exactly, are we always looking for our origins? And why do our origins seem so intimately connected to our race?

The most accurate and up-to-date science tells us that race is no more than a social construct; it’s language and culture, not biology. But that hasn’t stopped us – or scientists – from trying to find a biological basis for it over the years. Follow along as these blinks trace the history of race science – all while debunking the myths that have kept it alive.

A quick warning: blink 6 contains a graphic description of sexual violence and murder. Please take care.

In these blinks, you’ll learn

how Carl Linnaeus classified human beings;
what’s really behind IQ gaps; and
how Hindu politicians are rewriting history.

The study of archaeology can easily play into racist beliefs.

Forty thousand years ago, Homo sapiens weren’t the only human-like creatures roaming the planet. There were also the Neanderthals, the Denisovans, and Homo erectus. But only we, Homo sapiens, ultimately survived. That means there must be something special about us – right?

We’d like to believe so. Even scientists often can’t resist referring to Homo sapiens as “better,” “faster,” or “superior” compared to other human-like species – despite the blurry boundary separating us.

The belief that Homo sapiens is a superior species set the stage for a more sinister thesis: that within Homo sapiens there are superior and inferior races. Are some races more “human” than others? Throughout history, countless people, from ancient Egyptians to sixteenth-century European colonizers, have believed the answer is yes. And archaeologists have plumbed humanity’s origins for proof.

The key message here is: The study of archaeology can easily play into racist beliefs.

In the West and in Africa, the most widely accepted origin theory for Homo sapiens is the out of Africa hypothesis. It states that all humans can trace their ancestry back to Africa, and that some people began migrating to other parts of the world around 100,000 years ago.

Of course, not all academics agree with this theory. In China, for instance, the multiregional hypothesis is commonly accepted by both scientists and the public. People who back this theory don’t think all humans originally migrated from Africa – instead, they believe they descended from ancestors who evolved in different parts of the world.

All of this theorizing could be taken as an innocent investigation into humanity’s past – but it isn’t.

During the Enlightenment, white Europeans set the first standard for what it meant to be a member of Homo sapiens. Philosophers reinforced the idea that humans were the superior species, and the earliest archaeologists focused their studies primarily on European fossils. As Europeans colonized the world, they came across indigenous populations that didn’t exactly match European standards for humanity. And the colonizers used this to justify the brutal subjugation of those populations.

Theories like the multiregional hypothesis hearken back to Enlightenment science; they easily play into the idea that some “types” of humans are superior to others. But we’ll probably never determine the exact origin story of humanity. Together, we as a society have decided that everyone is human and deserving of individual rights – so why isn’t that enough?

Racism often disguises itself as science.

We like to think of science as involving an impartial search for objective truths about the world. But the people doing science – that is, scientists – are just regular human beings. And that means they, like all of us, are influenced by their preexisting biases.

For example, consider the Swedish botanist Carl Linnaeus, famed for creating the popular system of categorizing living organisms. Linnaeus believed that, like flowers and animals, humans, too, could be divided into categories according to their physical appearance.

Race science has largely been discredited, but some still cling to it.

The atrocities of eugenics seem unthinkable now, part of a distant and shameful past. But race science didn’t just disappear in the wake of the Holocaust. The US state of Indiana only repealed its involuntary sterilization law in 1974. A similar law was repealed in Japan as recently as 1996.

Despite eugenics’ enduring legacies, most people did turn their backs on race science immediately after World War II. Suddenly, race scientists found their papers being rejected by mainstream scientific journals. Anthropologists began to reexamine and discredit the former science of race. And in 1949, a group of scientists and politicians formed the organization UNESCO to fight racism and emphasize unity among all humans.

Race science lives on today as “race realism.”

It was 1960, and race scientist Reginald Ruggles Gates was sick of his papers being rejected by mainstream science journals. So he thought, why not just publish them himself?

Gates decided to form a journal called the Mankind Quarterly, along with a former Nazi scientist and a British eugenicist. Although the Mankind Quarterly pretended to present genuine science, whatever “evidence” it gave was ultimately used to make political arguments.

The vocabulary of race science evolves.

Anthropologist Jonathan Marks was teaching at the University of California, Berkeley, in 1998, when he received an interesting email in his inbox. The sender was Steve Sailer, a science journalist and writer for the conservative publication National Review. He was writing to invite Marks to an email list for scientists and other intellectuals where they could share information about human differences.

A few years prior, Marks had written a textbook on race, genes, and culture. It was called Human Biodiversity. To Marks, the term biodiversity signified the celebration of differences within the natural world, including cultural variation between human societies. But to Sailer and many of the other people on the email list, biodiversity meant something completely different – and much more ominous.

Race tells us a story about our identity – one that can become dangerous.

In 1903, archaeologists unearthed a skeleton they called the Cheddar Man in Cheddar Gorge, in Somerset, England. Upon the skeleton’s discovery, archaeologists immediately began guessing what he may have looked like. They determined that he was short, with curly hair, and that he’d enjoyed a good diet. Reconstructions portrayed him with white skin and rosy cheeks.

But a shock wave ran through the English public in 2018, when scientists discovered that, actually, the Cheddar Man’s bones carried genetic signatures of dark skin pigmentation. This discovery wasn’t at all surprising to archaeologists, but it caused a major disturbance to many British people’s conception of their own identity.

Environmental factors, rather than genetics, are the strongest determiners of IQ.

The Bajau people are a Southeast Asian nomadic population who live most of their lives on boats. They gather food by free-diving, so they need to be able to hold their breath underwater for long periods. How do they do that? Well, studies have shown that the Bajau appear to have much larger spleens than most people, which allows them to regulate their blood-oxygen levels better.

The Bajau possess a clear biological characteristic that helps them survive in their particular environment. If that’s true, then who’s to say that some populations haven’t similarly evolved cognitive differences, like greater intelligence?

Genetic determinism still plays an exaggerated role in health care and biology.

You’re probably already somewhat familiar with the Austrian scientist Gregor Mendel, whose experiments breeding pea plants kickstarted the science of genetics. But you might not know that Mendel’s work has had an enormous – and largely negative – impact on the study of race.

According to Mendel’s experiments, the environment in which a person – or a pea plant – grows up hardly matters at all. Instead, every organism is just a product of its genes. But there’s a dilemma here, because Mendel bred his peas in a perfect environment, choosing only the best specimens with which to carry out his work. Real life, of course, is far from perfect, and regular pea breeders could never create perfect Mendelian hybrids.

Want to see all full key ideas from Superior?

Key ideas in Superior

More knowledge in less time

Read or listen

Get the key ideas from nonfiction bestsellers in minutes, not hours.

Find your next read

Get book lists curated by experts and personalized recommendations.

Shortcasts ^New

We’ve teamed up with podcast creators to bring you key insights from podcasts.

What is Superior about?

Superior (2019) tracks the history of race science, from its origins in the Enlightenment to its hidden – but growing – presence in the twenty-first century. The uncomfortable truth is that science is not always apolitical, and the theory of biological race lives on in subtle ways, despite the mounting evidence against it. Groups of people might look, sound, and do things differently – but genetically, we’re very much the same.

Superior Review

Superior by Angela Saini (2019) is a thought-provoking exploration of the concept of race and the scientific evidence challenging its validity. Here's why this book is worth reading:

Packed with meticulously researched evidence, it unpacks the flawed notion of racial superiority, debunking long-held myths and prejudices.
Combining interviews, scientific studies, and historical context, Saini presents a compelling argument that promotes equality and dismantles racial stereotypes.
The book's unbiased and insightful approach sheds light on the complex and controversial topic, keeping readers engaged and evoking critical thinking.

Best quote from Superior

Race is a story we tell ourselves. –Richard Cooper

—Angela Saini

Who should read Superior?

Students of human biology, genetics, and anthropology
Anyone searching for the truth about the science of race
People of color and those considered minorities

About the Author

Angela Saini is an award-winning British journalist and BBC radio presenter. In 2009 she was named the European Young Science Writer of the Year by the Association of British Science Writers, and in 2015 she won the American Association for the Advancement of Science Gold Award. She has written two other critically acclaimed books – Geek Nation: How Indian Science is Taking Over the World and Inferior: How Science Got Women Wrong, the latter of which was named the Physics World Book of the Year in 2017.

Categories with Superior

Science Society & Culture

Book summaries like Superior

The Sum of Us

Heather McGhee

What Racism Costs Everyone and How We Can Prosper Together

A Brief History of Humankind

28 min

4.3

Cleaning Up Your Mental Mess

Caroline Leaf

5 Simple, Scientifically Proven Steps to Reduce Anxiety, Stress, and Toxic Thinking

The 4000-Year Quest of Judaism, Christianity and Islam

27 min

4.2

The Gut-Brain Paradox

Steven R. Gundry

Boost Mood, Clear Brain Fog, and Reverse Disease with Your Gut

An uncommon guide to rapid fat-loss, incredible sex and becoming superhuman

The Politics of Us and Them

Exploring Myths that Shape our Identity and Reality

20 min

3.7

The Science of Revenge

James Kimmel

Understanding the World's Deadliest Addiction - and How to Overcome It

18 min

Wabi Sabi

Beth Kempton

Japanese Wisdom for a Perfectly Imperfect Life

Discovering Value and Creating Growth in a Disrupted World

18 min

4.5

Artificial Intelligence & Generative AI for Beginners

The Shape of Things Unseen

Adam Zeman

A New Science of Imagination

Get Unstuck, Reclaim Your Freedom, and Build Your Empire

The secret methods to getting what you want

Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World

9 min

4.2

The Psychology of Money

Morgan Housel

Timeless Lessons on Wealth, Greed, and Happiness

How Conflict and Repair Build Intimacy, Resilience, and Trust

Discover Cultural Divide in Colonial India

The East India Company, Corporate Violence, and the Pillage of an Empire

30 min

4.5

Thinking, Fast and Slow

Daniel Kahneman

Intuition or deliberation? Where you can (and can't) trust your brain

28 min

4.4

Strategic Storytelling

Anjali Sharma

Why Some Stories Drive Your Success at Work But Others Don’t

17 min

4.2

The Seven Principles for Making Marriage Work

John M. Gottman and Nan Silver

A Practical Guide from the Country’s Foremost Relationship Expert

On Tempo, Culture, And The Pace Of Life

24 min

4.3

Gods of the Upper Air

Charles King

How a Circle of Renegade Anthropologists Reinvented Race, Sex, and Gender in the Twentieth Century

Tried and True Advice from 18 Harvard Business School Founders

20 min

3.8

A Brief History of Motion

Tom Standage

From the Wheel, to the Car, to What Comes Next

Imagining a New Story For Work and Life

16 min

4.3

Beth Thomas

How to Get and Stay Happy at Work

How to Find the Work You Were Meant to Do

How Today's Biggest Trends Will Collide and Reshape the Future of Everything

Building a Better World for All

19 min

How to Talk to Anyone

Leil Lowndes

92 Little Tricks for Big Success in Relationships

How to Think and Act Like the Most Successful and Highest-Paid People in Every Field

A Brief History of Tomorrow

20 min

4.2

Why Nations Fail

Daron Acemoglu & James A. Robinson

The Origins of Power, Prosperity, and Poverty

The Secret of Your Success Is Determined by Your Daily Agenda

17 min

4.3

Taming the Molecule of More

Michael E. Long

A Step-by-Step Guide to Make Dopamine Work for You

The Neuroscience and Experience of Addiction

23 min

4.3

The End of the World Is Just the Beginning

Peter Zeihan

Mapping the Collapse of Globalization

Dive into a Future Galactic Empire in This Science-Fiction Classic

The Most Comprehensive Plan Ever Proposed to Reverse Global Warming

28 min

4.3

Diet, Drugs, and Dopamine

David A. Kessler

The New Science of Achieving a Healthy Weight

The New Science of Human Relationships

Why Good People Are Divided by Politics and Religion

A Global Food Philosophy

22 min

4.0

The Future Is History

Masha Gessen

How Totalitarianism Reclaimed Russia

25 min

4.2

Becoming Steve Jobs

Brent Schlender and Rick Tetzeli

The Evolution of a Reckless Upstart into a Visionary Leader

Sharpen Your Message and Make Your Words Matter

16 min

4.2

People ❤️ Blinkist

Sven O.

It's highly addictive to get core insights on personally relevant topics without repetition or triviality. Added to that the apps ability to suggest kindred interests opens up a foundation of knowledge.

Thi Viet Quynh N.

Great app. Good selection of book summaries you can read or listen to while commuting. Instead of scrolling through your social media news feed, this is a much better way to spend your spare time in my opinion.

Jonathan A.

Life changing. The concept of being able to grasp a book's main point in such a short time truly opens multiple opportunities to grow every area of your life at a faster rate.

Renee D.

Great app. Addicting. Perfect for wait times, morning coffee, evening before bed. Extremely well written, thorough, easy to use.