Is there really just one race?

We often hear it said that there is only one race: the human race.  Other people assert that there are many races.  Which is correct?

First, it is reasonable to point out that people who maintain that there is only one race are almost always hypocrites.  With very few exceptions if any, they are the same people who support a multiracial society in which people of all races are expected to mix together harmoniously.  Quite how this is possible if there is only one race is never explained.

Second, no word in the English language is confined to just one meaning.  Therefore just because a word has one accepted definition does not justify us in regarding other definitions as spurious.

The meaning of any word can be deduced from the context in which it is used.  Therefore when we talk about the human race, then we are presumably talking about the human species.  When we talk about races, we are talking about different ethnic groups.  These groups are founded upon shared ancestry and on shared racial characteristics.

On the one hand, I am inclined to argue that both of these definitions are equally valid; but then it occurs to me that the people who talk about the human race never seem to talk about the canine race or the feline race.  Until they do, I will feel justified in concluding that their talk of the human race is foolish.  There are many races, and I for one am proud to be a member of the white race.

Related previous posts include:
The church of England, race, and paedophiles

This item on Western Spring is also of interest.