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The Mismeasure of Man

Written by: Stephen Jay Gould
Narrated by: Arthur Morey
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Publisher's Summary

When published in 1981, The Mismeasure of Man was immediately hailed as a masterwork, the ringing answer to those who would classify people, rank them according to their supposed genetic gifts and limits. Yet the idea of of biology as destiny dies hard, as witness the attention devoted to The Bell Curve, whose arguments are here so effectively anticipated and thoroughly undermined. In this edition, Stephen Jay Gould has written a substantial new introduction telling how and why he wrote the book and tracing the subsequent history of the controversy on innateness right through The Bell Curve. Further, he has added five essays on questions of The Bell Curve in particular and on race, racism, and biological determinism in general. These additions strengthen the book's claim to be, as Leo J. Kamin of Princeton University has said, "a major contribution toward deflating pseudo-biological 'explanations' of our present social woes."

©1981 Stephen Jay Gould, Renewed 1996 by Stephen Jay Gould (P)2011 Tantor

What the critics say

"A rare book---at once of great importance and wonderful to read." ( Saturday Review)

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More of a history of racial science than anything

It was interesting to hear the history of race science and IQ testing, but it was hardly a debunking of modern science. The author points out the initial purpose of the IQ test to identify children who need assistance as if it then can't or shouldn't be used for other purposes, like studying intelligence in adults.

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