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Race is real because we perceive it. Racism is real because we enact it. But the appeal to science to strengthen racist ideologies is on the rise – and increasingly part of the public discourse on politics, migration, education, sport and intelligence. Stereotypes and myths about race are expressed not just by overt racists, but also by well-intentioned people whose experience and cultural baggage steer them towards views that are not supported by the modern study of human genetics. Even some scientists are uncomfortable expressing opinions deriving from their research where it relates to race. Yet, if understood correctly, science and history can be powerful allies against racism, granting the clearest view of how people actually are, rather than how we judge them to be.
How to Argue With a Racist is a vital manifesto for a twenty-first century understanding of human evolution and variation, and a timely weapon against the misuse of science to justify bigotry.
Dr Adam Rutherford is a science writer and broadcaster. He studied genetics at University College London, and during his PhD on the developing eye at the Institute of Child Health at Great Ormond St Hospital, he was part of a team that identified the first genetic cause of a form of childhood blindness. Since then, he worked as an editor at the journal Nature, and has written several books; his first book, Creation, on the origin of life and synthetic biology, was shortlisted for the Wellcome Trust Prize.
On radio, he presents BBC Radio 4’s weekly programme Inside Science, and with Dr. Hannah Fry, the Curious Cases of Rutherford and Fry. He's also written and presented documentaries on subjects ranging from the history of sex, the evolution of morality, to the MMR-Autism scandal.
He's written and presented several award-winning television documentaries, including The Cell (2009), The Gene Code (2011), The Beauty of Anatomy (2014), and Playing God, on the rise of synthetic biology for the BBC’s long-running science series Horizon. He's also appeared on programmes including James Cameron’s The Story of Science Fiction (2018), University Challenge (2016).
He's worked on a number of films as a scientific consultant too, including Annihilation (dir. Alex Garland, 2018), Ex Machina (dir. Alex Garland, 2015), Life (dir. Daniel Espinosa, 2016) Bjork: Biophilia Live (dir. Peter Strickland, 2014), and Kingsmen: The Secret Service (dir. Matthew Vaughan, 2014).
"If teaching is what makes humans special, then Adam Rutherford is superhuman – a truly gifted transmitter of knowledge: lucid, enlightening, witty and delightful"
– Kate Fox
"Adam Rutherford is a master storyteller"
– Hannah Fry
"Timely and accessible"
– Caroline Sanderson, The Bookseller, Editor's Choice
"Nobody deals with challenging subjects more interestingly and compellingly than Adam Rutherford, and this may be his best book yet. This is a seriously important work"
– Bill Bryson
"Characteristically far-reaching, insightful and brilliant, Adam Rutherford casts his net wide in a book that is as timely as it is invigorating and important"
– Peter Frankopan
"This fascinating, illuminating and original book on human evolution and development is essential reading in an age of false science, resurgent racism and conspiracy theory – and the perfect antidote to racial bigotry"
– Simon Sebag Montefiore
"A fascinating and timely refutation of the casual racism on the rise around the world. The ultimate anti-racism guide for data-lovers everywhere"
– Caroline Criado Perez
"Adam Rutherford is the perfect writer to arm you with evidence"
– Claudia Hammond
"Brilliant, succinct genetics for the uninitiated"
– Julia Neuberger
"A counter-blast to those who would use science to justify prejudice"
– Tom Gatti, New Statesman
"Poignant [...] A timely weapon against the misuse of science to justify bigotry and casual racism"
– Cosmopolitan
"A fascinating debunking of racial pseudoscience [...] engaging and enlightening [...] equip[s] the reader with the scientific tools necessary to tackle questions concerning race, genes and ancestry"
– Manjit Kumar, Guardian
"How to Argue with a Racist smashes race myths that plague society."
– Layal Liverpool, New Scientist
