shopping cart
Save up to 30% on our Staff Picks
Call us:  800-878-7323 HELP
McAfee SECURE helps keep you safe from identity theft, credit card fraud, spyware, spam, viruses and online scams.
Original Essays | November 9, 2009

Jesse Bullington: IMG Abash'd the Devil Stood



I don't believe in evil. It's a word I use, certainly, because words are shortcuts and we all take the short way round from time to time, but that's... Continue »
  1. $10.49 Sale Trade Paper add to wish list

The Mismeasure of Man

by Stephen Jay Gould

The Mismeasure of Man Cover

Synopses & Reviews

Publisher Comments:

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 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.

Book News Annotation:

A renowned teacher and writer of science and history of science at Harvard, Gould (1941-2002) challenges assertions of biological determinism in a volume first published in 1981 and in a revised edition in 1996 that specifically addressed claims Arthur Jensen made in his 1994 The Bell Curve. That edition is reprinted here as part of a series of paper editions of his major works. Annotation ©2008 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Description:

Includes bibliographical references (p. [425]-430) and index.

What Our Readers Are Saying

Add a comment for a chance to win!
Average customer rating based on 1 comment:
Dora, April 10, 2007 (view all comments by Dora)
First printed over two decades ago, on topics spanning centuries, this book is if anything more relevant now than ever.

The Mismeasure of Man is a history of the idea of intelligence, and moreover a refutation of social Darwinist and scientific racist thinking. Early anthropology, anthropometry, criminology, biology, genetics, statistical analysis, and the history of the modern IQ test are all in interwoven in an exploration of the roots of both intelligence and intelligence testing.

This book skillfully boils down a massive amount of history and knowledge into one clear, readable volume. Gould's command of the material makes it accessible for readers. His language can be dense at times (and the statistics chapter was grueling for me) but his dry wit is well worth the effort.
Was this comment helpful? | Yes | No
(10 of 14 readers found this comment helpful)

Product Details

ISBN:
9780393314250
Author:
Gould, Stephen Jay
Publisher:
W. W. Norton & Company
Author:
Gould, Stephen Jay
Location:
New York :
Subject:
General
Subject:
History
Subject:
Anatomy
Subject:
Tests
Subject:
Cognitive Psychology
Subject:
Intelligence tests
Subject:
Testing
Subject:
Ability
Subject:
Craniometry
Subject:
Personality tests
Subject:
Craniometry -- History.
Subject:
Intelligence tests -- History.
Subject:
Ability -- Testing -- History.
Copyright:
Edition Number:
Rev. and expanded.
Edition Description:
Revised, Expand
Series Volume:
87/12
Publication Date:
June 1996
Binding:
Paperback
Language:
English
Illustrations:
Yes
Pages:
448
Dimensions:
8.20x5.48x.89 in. .88 lbs.

Other books you might like

  1. $10.95 Used Hardcover add to wish list
  2. $7.13 Used Hardcover add to wish list

    I Have Landed

    Stephen Jay Gould
  3. $6.95 Used Trade Paper add to wish list
  4. $54.50 New Hardcover add to wish list
  5. $9.95 Used Hardcover add to wish list
  6. $4.00 Used Trade Paper add to wish list

Related Aisles

  • back to top

Powell's City of Books is an independent bookstore in Portland, Oregon, that fills a whole city block with more than a million new, used, and out of print books. Shop those shelves — plus literally millions more books, DVDs, and eBooks — here at Powells.com.