Ask AI: When was the idea of racism created? And why?

The idea of racism is difficult to pin down to a specific moment in history, as it has changed over time and has been expressed in different forms throughout history. Scholars generally agree that racism in its modern form developed during the Age of Enlightenment in the 1700s, as European nations began to colonize parts of the world and the slave trade was at its peak. This form of racism was based on the belief that different races and cultures were inherently unequal and that certain groups of people were inferior to others. This idea of racial hierarchies was used to justify the subjugation of non-European cultures and the exploitation of their resources.