Grigorescu Cătălin Cicerone, Tihan Eusebiu Jean, Grigorescu Șerban Maxim
Abstract
The cephalic index (CI), a simple measurement of the ratio between the width and length of the skull, played a central role in the dark history of scientific racism. Popularized in the 19th and 20th centuries by physical anthropologists such as Anders Retzius, it was promoted as an “objective” tool for classifying human “races” and justifying social hierarchies. Through interdisciplinary analysis (anthropological, genetic, neurological, and philosophical), this article demonstrates that CI has been completely discredited by modern science as a taxonomic marker. Contemporary evidence shows that cranial variation is a continuum influenced by developmental plasticity, ecological factors, and migration, with no correlation to cognitive abilities or human value. Its story serves as a fundamental warning against the hijacking of science by dangerous ideologies.
DOI : 10.62610/RJOR.2025.4.17.13
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