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.
And yet the idea of innate limits-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 by Stephen Jay Gould. In this edition Dr. 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.""
By:
Stephen Jay Gould Imprint: Norton Country of Publication: United States Edition: 2nd Revised edition Dimensions:
Height: 211mm,
Width: 140mm,
Spine: 23mm
Weight: 332g ISBN:9780393314250 ISBN 10: 0393314251 Pages: 400 Publication Date:08 January 2010 Audience:
College/higher education
,
Professional and scholarly
,
Professional & Vocational
,
A / AS level
,
Further / Higher Education
Format:Paperback Publisher's Status: Active
Reviews for The Mismeasure of Man
""A rare book-at once of great importance and wonderful to read."" -- Saturday Review
Winner of National Book Critics Circle Award 1981
Winner of National Book Critics Circle Award 2016
Winner of National Book Critics Circle Awards 2016
Winner of National Book Critics Circle Awards 2016.
