Abstract

This paper revolves, on the one hand, on Darwin; on the other hand, on the criticism provided by Canguilhem and Focault. A close scrutiny of these authors reveals as the question of race is first and foremost a political issue regarding the status of scientific "truth". In Darwin the opposition between science and breeding cannot be taken for granted. With Canguilhem and Focault, on the other hand, the so-called sciences of life - even when they do not have a direct political impact - become a political problem the very moment when our political community starts to think according to biological patterns.