Final answer:
Racist beliefs are indeed often based on the false assumption of biologically distinct racial groups, which has been scientifically discredited. Differences like skin color or genetic markers do not justify the division of humans into races, with more genetic variation within groups than between them.
Step-by-step explanation:
The statement that racist beliefs are often rooted in the assumption that differences between groups are biologically based is true. Biological anthropologists and researchers have demonstrated that the concept of race does not have a scientific basis. Physical differences such as skin color, facial features, or hair texture do not correlate with discrete genetic categories that can define race. These characteristics vary along a spectrum, and skin color, for example, ranges from pinkish beige to dark brown, not fitting into distinct racial groups.
Furthermore, genetic variation within so-called racial groups is often equal to or greater than that between different groups, making the statistical categorization of race illogical. Historically, the notion of race has shifted, where past categorizations were connected less with ancestry and more with physical attributes. Concepts of race have often been used to justify racist practices and systems of inequality, despite the lack of biological foundations for such discrimination.
Racism can be defined as a set of beliefs built upon perceived racial superiority and inferiority that affects interactions and leads to the unequal distribution of privileges, resources, and power. Although the scientific community rejects biological races, social constructs of race remain influential and are a reality for most people's lives across the world.