The Inheritance of Ability: Being a Statistical Study of the Oxford Class Lists and of the School Lists of Harrow and Charterhouse (Classic Reprint) - Hardcover

Edgar Schuster

9780265619063: The Inheritance of Ability: Being a Statistical Study of the Oxford Class Lists and of the School Lists of Harrow and Charterhouse (Classic Reprint)

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0265619068 ISBN 13: 9780265619063

Publisher: Forgotten Books, 2017

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Explore how family background may shape ability through a careful, evidence-based study.

This historically grounded work presents a statistical examination of the Oxford Class Lists and the school lists of Harrow and Charterhouse. It uses official records and honours data to ask how traits linked to intellectual and academic achievement cluster within families. The authors outline their method for comparing fathers and sons, and brothers, to quantify the average resemblance and to see how it varies across groups.

Written to bridge theory and data, the book explains the measures used, the reasoning behind them, and how to interpret results without assuming a fixed inheritance pattern. It also situates its findings within broader discussions about heredity, education, and social factors in early 20th-century Britain.

Grounded in archival records from Oxbridge and notable English schools
Focuses on measuring family resemblance in academic outcomes
Discusses limitations and the role of selection and environment
Provides context for debates on heredity and intelligence with clear, data-driven language

Ideal for readers curious about the historical study of heredity, education, and statistics, as well as those interested in how large data sets illuminate long-standing questions.

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