This controversial book examines the science linking genetics and intellectual ability, and its impact and implications for education and public policy. It may interest educators and policy makers, and provides an interesting example of how even scientific evidence is still subject to interpretation.
The bell curve: intelligence and class structure in American life
Synopsis
The Bell Curve is one of social science’s most notorious books. Exploring cognitive ability and its impact on social outcomes, Herrnstein and Murray argue that intelligence is conferred on a person through a combination of genetic and environmental factors, and that this is a better predictor of human dynamics than other parental and socio-economic factors.
They present a case that considers individuals to have little to no control over genetic and environmental factors and argue that the State must intervene to help cognitively and socially disadvantaged children and families.
The book has remained controversial for its examination of the science covering racial differences in intelligence and the authors’ interpretation of this.