Editing Prejudice (section)

===Racism===
{{Main article|Racism}}
Racism is defined as the belief that physical characteristics determine cultural traits, and that racial characteristics make some groups superior.<ref name="Blackwell37">Blackwell, Judith, Murray Smith, and John Sorenson. ''Culture of Prejudice: Arguments in Critical Social Science''. Toronto: Broadview Press, 2003. 37–38. Print.</ref> By separating people into [[Racial hierarchy|hierarchies]] based upon their race, it has been argued that unequal treatment among the different groups of people is just and fair due to their [[Genetics|genetic]] differences.<ref name="Blackwell37" /> Racism can occur amongst any group that can be identified based upon physical features or even characteristics of their culture.<ref name="Blackwell37" /> Though people may be lumped together and called a specific race, everyone does not fit neatly into such categories, making it hard to define and describe a race accurately.<ref name="Blackwell37" />

====Scientific racism====
[[Scientific racism]] began to flourish in the eighteenth century and was greatly influenced by [[Charles Darwin]]'s [[evolution]]ary studies, as well as ideas taken from the writings of philosophers like [[Aristotle]]; for example, Aristotle believed in the concept of "[[Natural slavery|natural slaves]]".<ref name="Blackwell37" /> This concept focuses on the necessity of hierarchies and how some people are bound to be on the bottom of the pyramid. Though racism has been a prominent topic in history, there is still debate over whether race actually exists,{{Citation needed|date=May 2012}} making the discussion of race a controversial topic. Even though the concept of race is still being debated, the effects of racism are apparent. Racism and other forms of prejudice can affect a person's behavior, thoughts, and feelings, and social psychologists strive to study these effects.