The Mismeasure of Man

The Mismeasure of Man The Mismeasure of Man is a 1981 book by Stephen Jay Gould that critiques historical and contemporary attempts to quantify human intelligence. Gould examines figures such as Francis Galton, Samuel George Morton, Alfred Binet, Charles Darwin, and Francis Galton-related work, situating his argument amid debates involving IQ tests, eugenics movements like those associated with Francis Galton and Harry H. Laughlin, and later statistical controversies tied to scholars such as Arthur Jensen and Richard Herrnstein.

Background and context

Gould wrote against a backdrop of earlier scientific claims linking cranial capacity and skull measurements by Samuel George Morton, hereditarian arguments advanced by Francis Galton and institutional supporters including American Eugenics Society and policy proponents like Alexander Graham Bell, and mid-20th-century psychometric developments from Alfred Binet, Lewis Terman, Charles Spearman, and David Wechsler. Debates intensified with publications by Arthur Jensen and the 1994 book by Richard Herrnstein and Charles Murray, framing controversies involving researchers such as J. Philippe Rushton, critics like Noam Chomsky, and public intellectuals including E. O. Wilson and Isaac Asimov.

Summary of content

Gould opens by recounting historical episodes involving Samuel George Morton’s craniometric collections and methods, comparing them to later psychometric work by Charles Spearman and Alfred Binet and statistical interpretations used by Francis Galton and Lewis Terman. He challenges biological determinism as asserted by proponents like Francis Galton and institutions such as the British Eugenics Education Society, and evaluates quantitative methods employed by Karl Pearson, Ronald Fisher, and Francis Galton-influenced statisticians. The book critiques the concept of a single, unitary intelligence metric associated with Charles Spearman’s g-factor and questions interpretations advanced by Arthur Jensen, Richard Herrnstein, and Charles Murray. Gould analyzes case studies including skull measurements of collections referenced by Samuel George Morton, historical test administrations by Lewis Terman and Alfred Binet, and the use of factor analysis by Charles Spearman and L. L. Thurstone. He argues that measurement errors and cultural biases reflected in practices promoted by Francis Galton, Francis Galton-linked eugenicists, and mid-century psychologists led to misleading conclusions about human variation discussed in relation to figures like Thomas Henry Huxley, Herbert Spencer, and Francis Galton.

Criticisms and controversies

Gould’s methods and conclusions provoked response from defenders of Morton and hereditarians such as J. Philippe Rushton, Michael Levin (philosopher), and supporters of Arthur Jensen’s research. Critics including Gordon R. Gallup, Nicholas Wade, and Dean H. Hamer challenged Gould’s remeasurements and interpretations of the Samuel George Morton skull data and statistical claims associated with Karl Pearson and Ronald Fisher. Controversy extended to methodological debates over historical reconstruction involving archives tied to Samuel George Morton and correspondence among scientists like Joseph Leidy and William B. Carpenter. Subsequent analyses by scholars affiliated with institutions such as University of Pennsylvania and journals like Nature (journal) and Science (journal) debated Gould’s treatment of primary sources and reproducibility issues, invoking figures like Stephen Jay Gould’s critics including Nicholas Wade and defenders including Richard Lewontin and E. O. Wilson.

Reception and impact

The book received praise from academics such as Richard Lewontin, E. O. Wilson, and Noam Chomsky for its critique of biological determinism and for challenging assumptions associated with Francis Galton and Charles Spearman. It influenced public discourse involving policy debates around intelligence testing propagated by advocates like Lewis Terman and commentators such as Charles Murray and Arthur Jensen, and contributed to historical reassessments in museums and collections associated with Samuel George Morton and institutions like the American Museum of Natural History. The work was cited in debates at universities including Harvard University, Columbia University, and University of California, Berkeley and entered curricula in programs linked to scholars such as Stephen Jay Gould, Richard Lewontin, and E. O. Wilson.

Editions and revisions

Originally published by W. W. Norton & Company in 1981, an expanded edition appeared in 1996 with additional material responding to critics and updating discussions involving Arthur Jensen, Charles Murray, and statistical advances linked to Ronald Fisher and Karl Pearson. Subsequent printings and translations involved publishers and academic presses engaged with public intellectual debates shaped by figures such as Stephen Jay Gould and reviewers from outlets like The New York Times, National Review, and journals including Science (journal).

Category:Books about intelligence