FW: [huml-comment] PC-33 -Section 4.4.6-race

["Dennis E. Hamilton" <dennis.hamilton@acm.org>]

That's a big step from a measurable physical characteristic.  Is this going
to be added to the specification?

PS: How is it that gender is not reflected as a physical characteristic in
the Human ML scheme of things?

-- Dennis


-----Original Message-----
From: Bullard, Claude L (Len) [mailto:clbullar@ingr.com]
Sent: Monday, December 02, 2002 07:26

To: 'Rex Brooks'; humanmarkup-comment@lists.oasis-open.org
Subject: RE: [huml-comment] PC-33 -Section 4.4.6-race


From WordNet, second usage:

race -- (people who are believed to belong to the same genetic stock; "some
biologists doubt that there are important genetic differences between races
of human beings")

One can say it is an attribution of belief, and add that it
is based on observable characteristics whose sources in genetic
properties is unproven.  There are physical characteristics that
are observable and can be used to apply the codelist value,
but the user is warned that further interpretations of such
codelists should be determined strictly or clearly documented
as vague.   The dominant applications are statistical,
not genetic and individual.

len