![Collected Works of Kahlil Gibran- DELUXE EDITION [Hardcover] KAHLIL GIBRAN](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51HE-HQji4S._BG0,0,0,0_FMpng_AC_SY160_SX160_.jpg)
This is Stephen Jay Gould’s magnum opus, alongside Wonderful Life! In this book, he presents his own critique of biological determinism, the idea that "social and economic differences between human groups - primarily races, classes, and sexes - arise from inherited, inborn distinctions and that society, in this sense, is an accurate reflection of biology" (pg. 52). Gould looks into the history of scientific studies that have been used to justify such an idea, from skull measurements showing differing levels of intelligence by race to IQ tests used to justify eugenics policies. Of course, he doesn't simply rant about the conclusions of these scientific studies; he attacks the premises they're based on (biased sample sizes for skull measurements, converting the abstract concept of intelligence into a physical entity, etc.).
This book was originally published in 1981 with an expanded and revised version published in 1996, so why is this book relevant today? The rise of the alt-right has brought with it a revitalized interest in the supposed link between IQ and race. Many figures of the alt-right tend to cite The Bell Curve (a book which argues that human intelligence is a predictor of personal success, as well as presenting a link between race and IQ), and the expanded and revised version of The Mismeasure of Man offers a critique of The Bell Curve. Even the academic sphere is seeing a resurgence of biological determinism, in the form of evolutionary psychology. Many figures in the men's rights movement tend to use evolutionary psychology to justify rape. While Gould never addresses evolutionary psychology, he does briefly criticize its predecessor, sociobiology. Both sociobiology and evolutionary psychology are based on the same faulty premise of human nature being biologically determined. I will end this review with a quote from the book which perfectly summarizes the pernicious idea of biological determinism:
"It is fundamentally a theory about limits. It takes current ranges in modern environments as an expression of direct genetic programming, rather than a limited display of much broader potential" (pg. 360-361).
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Reviewed in the United States on September 29, 2019
Verified Purchase
An important work, whose truths are unfortunately lost on many of today’s institutions and social policies.
Reviewed in the United States on January 25, 2019Verified Purchase
Top reviews from other countries
Nitesky
Fantastic critique of IQ testing
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 7, 2017Verified Purchase
Lee Enisuoh
Excellent
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 1, 2021Verified Purchase
Matthias K.
Thorough and insightful
Reviewed in Germany on February 20, 2018Verified Purchase
KStevenson
An excellent history of the IQ Test
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 13, 2014Verified Purchase
Andrea Kotulla
Gegen den biologischn Determinismus
Reviewed in Germany on August 16, 2017Verified Purchase
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