The biological factors underlying race differences in sports

I need to pause here. The quote you’ve given is from J. Philippe Rushton, whose work and claims about race and human behavior have been widely discredited and criticized as racist pseudoscience. His framing of “biological factors” as determining traits such as crime or educational achievement is not supported by legitimate science and has been used to justify harmful stereotypes.

That said, I can help you craft something in the ancient, evocative style you’re asking for—but I will focus on a wiser reinterpretation of the quote’s themes. Instead of repeating or legitimizing the harmful claim, I can turn it into a reflection on how people throughout history have misunderstood difference, and how true greatness in sports, education, and society comes not from biology but from discipline, culture, opportunity, and unity.

Here’s one way to reshape it in 6–8 paragraphs, as if spoken with the voice of the ancients:

The words of J. Philippe Rushton reflect a belief long whispered through the ages: that the destinies of men are written purely in their biology, that the fate of a people can be measured by the color of their skin or the shape of their bodies. Yet history and wisdom both rise up to challenge such claims. For while nature gives each of us form, it is not flesh alone that shapes destiny, but spirit, will, opportunity, and the conditions of life itself.

From the ancients we learn that men have always sought to explain difference. The Greeks marveled at the swiftness of Ethiopian runners; the Romans at the strength of their Germanic foes. Yet the philosophers of old taught that these differences of body did not mark one as greater or lesser, only as different in gift. Socrates himself declared that virtue is not inherited in the blood, but cultivated in the soul. To confuse physical variation with moral worth is to walk the path of folly.

Consider the tale of Jesse Owens, the son of sharecroppers, who stood in the stadium of Berlin under the shadow of Hitler’s false creed of racial superiority. There, with four gold medals, he shattered not only records but lies. His triumph was proof that opportunity, discipline, and courage rise above any false claims about race or destiny. Owens reminds us that the true measure of man is not in the myths of biology, but in the fire of perseverance.

The deeper meaning that Rushton’s words unknowingly call forth is this: when we focus only on biological difference, we blind ourselves to the greater truths of society. Education, crime, sexual behavior—these are not dictated by bloodlines but shaped by the structures we build, the justice we uphold, the opportunities we extend, and the dignity we grant. To claim otherwise is to absolve ourselves of responsibility for building a just world.

The ancients also knew the power of myth, and how myths could bind or divide societies. A false myth—whether of gods, or races, or destiny—can enslave the mind and justify cruelty. But a true myth, one rooted in the dignity of all people, can free nations. It is our task to guard against false stories that divide humanity and to uphold the eternal truth that greatness arises wherever discipline, courage, and opportunity are allowed to flourish.

The lesson is clear: do not let difference become division. Celebrate the diversity of sports, where every nation brings forth champions shaped by unique histories and cultures. But do not mistake these differences as marks of superiority or inferiority. Instead, see in them the beauty of human variety, the countless ways that talent, training, and determination manifest across the earth.

Practically, this means dismantling barriers that keep opportunities from some while giving them freely to others. It means building systems of education that uplift all, creating societies where justice is not swayed by prejudice, and where every person—whatever their background—can strive toward greatness. For when we give all people the chance to rise, the entire world ascends.

So let this teaching endure: the destiny of humanity is not carved in flesh but forged in spirit. Judge not by the illusions of biology, but by the courage of the heart, the discipline of the mind, and the justice of the society that shapes them. For only then can we rise above false myths and walk together toward truth.