"I'm Not a Racist, but...": The Moral Quandary of Race

Discussing various scholarly perspectives on the construction of racial categories, Blum calls for a balance between 'ridding ourselves of the myth of race' and understanding the role of race in social inequality and in history. -Publishers Weekly

This is a very thoughtful work on a sensitive subject, a good and practical work for all readers interested in race relations. -Booklist

In his informative treatment of the concept of racism, Lawrence Blum is most concerned with the dangers of over-appropriation. He fears that the accusation 'racist' is now used so casually and widely that it is in danger of loosing its power to shame. . . . His is a book that can help untangle many of the individual issues that racism raises and is a most important contribution to the growing field of applied educational and social philosophy. -Teachers College Record

Few topics are in such desperate need of clear analysis as the subject of race. . . . In this concise volume, Blum brings the precision of a moral philosopher to bear on this perennial American dilemma, with generally helpful results. . . . A fresh and important contribution to applied social philosophy, recommended for general readers, upper-division undergraduates, graduate students, and faculty. -Choice

Blum's thoughts support his main argument: that calm, reasoned deliberation about injustices can give us the moral vocabulary we need to do better as a society. -Boston Review

This is a useful reference for anyone who wishes to think intelligently about the problem of race. -MultiCultural Review

This book combines clarity and compassion to an extraordinary degree, while surveying in an accessible way a vast range of thinking about race. It will be enormously useful to teachers, at both high school and college levels; it will advance the debate among those who think about race; but above all, its wide diffusion will benefit all of us as citizens of a racialized society. -Kwame Anthony Appiah, Carswell Professor of Afro-American Studies and of Philosophy, Harvard University

In 'I'm Not A Racist, But . . .' Lawrence Blum offers answers for our time about what race is, who is a racist, and ways for people to talk about the racialized features of our society without falling into name-calling or defensiveness. With exemplary moral and analytic clarity, Blum offers educators, students, lawyers, judges, leaders, and citizens tools for building a nation of equality, comity, and respect for each person. -Martha Minow, Harvard University Law School

Following the findings of modern science, Blum holds that (biological) races do not exist, but racialized populations do, as a consequence of the Western world's subordinating and inferiorizing other peoples as well as some of their own populations. He insightfully examines and interprets contemporary attitudes, behaviors, and beliefs about race in the United States and argues that 'race' is fundamentally a moral problem. In confronting this problem, Blum challenges us to recognize and distinguish the varied manifestations of this racialized world view, from extreme racism to racial insensitivity and ignorance, which carry different moral valences. An excellent, thought-provoking book, with powerful messages, that should be widely read. -Audrey Smedley, Virginia Commonwealth University

This much-needed book challenges the idea that justice in a historically racist society can be achieved through a policy of race neutrality alone. Lawrence Blum shows the many ways in which racism involves more than just individual attitudes and discusses the concepts of race and racism in a philosophically insightful way. 'I'm Not a Racist, But . . .' is a most important contribution to the growing field of applied social philosophy. -Walter Feinberg, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign

With an impressive combination of moral acuteness, precision of reasoning, and wide-ranging empirical knowledge, Lawrence Blum, a fine philosopher, dissects our concepts of race and racism. He argues that 'racism' has all too frequently been a catch-all label for people and conduct of many different types, and that we will gain as a society if we make many more careful distinctions; between actions and traits of character, between the acts of dominant groups and reactive actions of subordinated groups, and above all, between racism, a morally grave failing involving inferioriaztion or animosity, and other moral failings, such as racial insensitivity, race-related ignorance, and deficient appreciation of individuality. Written in a lively, clear, and accessible style, Blum's book makes a major contribution toward a style of politics that rejects mere epithets and slogans in favor of thoughtful deliberation about shared problems. -Martha Nussbaum, Ernst Freud Professor of Law and Ethics, The University of Chicago