you really encounter a large number of different and distinct ways of classifying groups of people
Sure. But you're implying a nirvana-fallacy argument: that classification by race is not perfect. Of course it is not. It is, indeed, one of many many different ways. The interesting question is whether this classification reflects (imperfectly) some underlying joint in the territory, or whether it's an entirely arbitrary construct. It doesn't look like an arbitrary construct to me.
the weighty edifice that is "race"
Haven't noticed it being a particularly weighty edifice. A hot button, a battlefront, a trigger, a minefield, a mindkiller, etc. etc., but an edifice..? :-/
Sure. But you're implying a nirvana-fallacy argument: that classification by race is not perfect. Of course it is not. It is, indeed, one of many many different ways. The interesting question is whether this classification reflects (imperfectly) some underlying joint in the territory, or whether it's an entirely arbitrary construct. It doesn't look like an arbitrary construct to me.
The use of skin color, as opposed to other criteria, is historical accident and entirely arbitrary. The importance placed on it, therefore, is entirely arbitrary. Does it l...
This sort of thinking seems bad:
This sort of thinking seems socially frowned upon, but accurate:
Similar points could be made by replacing a/b with [group of people]. I think it's terrible to say something like:
But to me, it doesn't seem wrong to say something like:
Credit and accountability seem like good things to me, and so I want to live in a world where people/groups receive credit for good qualities, and are held accountable for bad qualities.
I'm not sure though. I could see that there are unintended consequences of such a world. For example, such "score keeping" could lead to contentiousness. And perhaps it's just something that we as a society (to generalize) can't handle, and thus shouldn't keep score.