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Title: The Mismeasure of Man by Stephen Jay Gould ISBN: 0-393-31425-1 Publisher: W.W. Norton & Company Pub. Date: June, 1996 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $15.95 |
Average Customer Rating: 3.67 (66 reviews)
Rating: 4
Summary: good arguments, but pay attention to what it leaves out
Comment: I agree with the grad student whose review recommends reading both this book and The Bell Curve. Gould does an excellent job shooting down work that claims to find racial differences in intelligence. However, that is not the same thing as proving that those differences don't exist. But Gould superbly points out the degree to which preconceptions can influence "science," even subconsciously, and points out the need for a generous dose of skepticism when research purports to divine the intelligence (or cognitive) ability of groups. This skepticism should be heightened when the researcher goes beyond attempting to identify measurable aspects of intelligence and relate them to groups, and takes the additional step of suggesting social policy.
Rating: 5
Summary: Caution in Science, Well Defined
Comment: The Mismeasure of Man is more than a historical account of the inaccuracies of intelligence testing; it is an epic illustration of the pitfalls of an uncritical scientific approach. The thrust of the recounting is that scientists must not delude themselves into believing that they are objective measurers of a well-defined world. Political and social biases are inherent parts of our humanity, and as such are unavoidable influences on how we interpret data. Gould thus suggests that the only way to compensate for our biases is to acknowledge them. Otherwise we are fated to repeat past errors: designing experiments to fit preconceived conclusions rather than setting forth disprovable hypotheses.
The history of intelligence testing is riddled with these mistakes. The most striking is the capacity for scientists to explain away data that does not fit their original notion. For example, when skull size failed to show a positive correlation with the traditional white-asian-black intellectual heirarchy, different measurement procedures were used, unrelated races were grouped together, and gender effects were ignored. All in an effort to (often subconsciously) restore the comfortable position of white superiority.
The most fulfilling aspect of the book is how far Gould has researched the environments and lives of those who played a role in this drama. Although some passages may be construed as ad hominem attacks, the vast majority of the information is necessary to understand -- and, in some cases, sympathize with -- otherwise seemingly cold, evil, or ignorant scientists. In the end, Gould redeems many of these figures while also castigating their behavior, so that we may learn from their mistakes. Indeed, this book gives a clear understanding of how statistics, prejudice, and self-delusion can alter the course of research.
Rating: 1
Summary: For the soft-minded
Comment: Noticing that a book was on the market that rehashed the same, tired old 1960's idocy that there is "no difference" between races (subspecies) of homo sapiens, my ever-so-PC liberal arts college gobbled up copies of this book and distributed them as required reading for evolutionary psychology classes. Overall, this book was a big waste of time and contributed NOTHING to what is otherwise a fine field of study. Simple, regressive logic such as "just because some 19th century racists drew exaggerated pictures of blacks to make them look like apes" this means there are no differences between subspecies of human beings that evolved in isolated environments over 100,000's of years. Pure nonsense and totally worthless; not "scholarly" at all but rather an amateur foray into "science" for the feminist/ultra-left crowds.
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Title: Ever Since Darwin: Reflections in Natural History by Stephen Jay Gould ISBN: 0393308189 Publisher: W.W. Norton & Company Pub. Date: August, 1992 List Price(USD): $15.95 |
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Title: The Bell Curve: Intelligence and Class Structure in American Life by Richard J. Herrnstein, Charles Murray ISBN: 0029146739 Publisher: Free Press Pub. Date: April, 1999 List Price(USD): $30.00 |
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Title: Research Methods for Public Administration (4th Edition) by Elizabethann O'Sullivan, Gary R. Rassel, Maureen Berner ISBN: 0321085582 Publisher: Pearson Longman Pub. Date: 03 May, 2002 List Price(USD): $89.00 |
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Title: Hen's Teeth and Horse's Toes by Stephen Jay Gould ISBN: 0393311031 Publisher: W.W. Norton & Company Pub. Date: April, 1994 List Price(USD): $15.95 |
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Title: Bully for Brontosaurus: Reflections in Natural History by Stephen Jay Gould ISBN: 039330857X Publisher: W.W. Norton & Company Pub. Date: April, 1992 List Price(USD): $16.95 |
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