The mismeasure of man and The panda's thumb : more reflections in natural history

Gould, Stephen Jay

ISBN 10: 0393014894 / ISBN 13: 9780393014891

Published by New York : Norton, [1980/81], New York, 1981

About this Item

vol. 1 352 pages : illustrations ; 22 cm, Vol. 2 343 p. : ill. ; 22 cm. 9780374222192.

Seller Inventory # 1005461

Bibliographic Details

• Title: The mismeasure of man and The panda's thumb : more reflections in natural history
• Publisher: New York : Norton, [1980/81], New York
• Publication Date: 1981
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0393014894
• ISBN 13: 9780393014891
• Binding: hardback
• Condition: Very Good
• Dust Jacket Condition: Very Good
• Seller catalogs:
  • Natural history

About this title

Synopsis

The definitive refutation to the argument of The Bell Curve.

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."

From the Publisher

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