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Intelligence Testing Stephen Jay Gould's The Mismeasure of Man seeks

Stephen Jay Gould's The Mismeasure of Man seeks to demonstrate both the scientific weaknesses and political contexts of biological determinist arguments. As a side argument, Gould attempts to show that science is objective only if performed properly, like anything else. In order for scientists to obtain this all essential objectivity, he shows that they must first "shuck the constraints of their culture, and view the world as it really is" (21).

The primary focus of The Mismeasure of Man is intelligence testing. Long shrouded in pseudoscientific mumbo jumbo, IQ testing has been used to culturally oppress the mental underdogs who occupy the lower rungs of the social ladder. The essential tragedy of such thinking is that biological determinist arguments with regard to IQ are limiting to the individual. As Gould states, "biological determinism is ... 'a theory of limits.' It takes the current status of groups as a measure of where they should be and must be ... " (28).

Finally, Gould explains that he is not a professional debunker, or one who gets pleasure out of tearing down the edifice of biological determinism without replacing it with another classification scheme. However, Gould argues, the proponents of biological determinism have based their structure on major fallacies which can not, and should not, be expected to support the premise that genes matter more than culture.

Cultural change, and our adaption to it, is contrasted sharply with evolutionary change, to show that we are constantly adapting culturally, while we will never live to see genetic change. Relative to cultural change, genetic, or evolutionary change appears static. It is in this perspective that Gould's treatise is most easily pictured. This is important because his chapter on factor analysis, a complex statistical model involving convoluted mathematics, is virtually incomprehensible to the layman. Overall, though, Gould's book is a popular one...

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Intelligence Testing Stephen Jay Gould's The Mismeasure of Man seeks. (1969, December 31). In LotsofEssays.com. Retrieved 07:54, March 29, 2024, from https://www.lotsofessays.com/viewpaper/1703941.html