Final answer:
Carleton Coon's outdated perspective on racial categories was rooted in a biological interpretation, which has been formally discredited by contemporary science due to its reinforcement of stereotypes and lacks scientific legitimacy.
Step-by-step explanation:
Carleton Coon's perspective on racial categories was that he believed in a biological basis for racial categories, a viewpoint that has been largely discredited by modern science. Coon divided humanity into different races based on physical characteristics, but his work has been criticized for reinforcing racial stereotypes and for its lack of scientific rigor. Modern research in genetics and anthropology has shown that race is a social construct rather than a biological reality, and the concept of biological race is now considered obsolete.