Bex wrote:Now what makes Neanderthals different simply becaues their physical structure/frame is so much more robust? We know some of them were suffering from deficiencies, because some were stooped over. Not all of them were. Having a more robust skeletal frame and heavier brow etc does not make them any less human than anybody else.
To be more precise, it makes them less homo sapien, as according to scientific definition.
What you're saying just shows a lack of understanding about the various hominids. The differences Neanderthals possess are a difference in species, not in race. And it's a far cry more than simply a protruding brow. All races of homo sapien possess certain traits, every single one whether of Asian of Eurpean decent, whereas the differences with Neanderthals are traits which no homo sapien possesses. When you learn about how a species is defined and what, for example, is the difference between a mouse and a rat or a cheetah and a tiger (read: a different species) it becomes clear that Neanderthals, and all other hominids, are far from being merely different "races" of humans. They were a different stock of human entirely: they were a different species (known scientifcally as Homo neanderthalensis).
We are all, of course, quite welcome to go on believing whatever we wish, but only someone dedicated to truth and maintaining integrity will take the time and effort requried to understand what the definition of a term means (i.e., species). If you believe Neanderthals to be merely a different race and not a different species, you may need to apply your own definition to race and species, as they are not the universal definitions of the word.
As an addendum, there really is no difference in saying Neanderthals are a different race of homo sapien than there is in saying vultures are a different "race" of parrot. When we understand the definitions, we then can understand that vultures are not a form of parrot and why.
