40 pages • 1 hour read
The Mismeasure Of Man
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Essay Topics
How did societal prejudices and unconscious bias affect the search for hereditary intelligence in the 19th and 20th centuries? Why was this question so important to scientists?
In his analysis of Broca’s data, does Gould exhibit any of his own examples of unconscious bias? What evidence do you see in his analysis that supports your argument?
In comparing Binet with the psychologists who popularized IQ testing in America, why was Binet able to challenge his biases when other scientists could not? Why did Goddard, Terman, and Yerkes feel that the IQ test was an appropriate measure of “intelligence”?
Why was the search for data confirming racial intelligence so important in the 19th century? If “everyone knows” that whites have more intelligence than blacks, why was it so important to confirm this fact scientifically?
Can intelligence be measured? Is the search for a means of measuring intelligence a useful scientific enterprise? What arguments can be made for how and why it is useful?
What has been the impact of IQ testing (and standardized testing) in America? Has the administration of standardized tests proven to be useful, and how does a test score frame one’s understanding of intelligence and ability?
Is the modern argument for heritable intelligence valid or not? With adjustments and caveats, can Richard Herrnstein and Charles Murray’s interpretation of Spearman’s g and factor analysis be used to argue for heritable patterns of intelligence across races? Why or why not?
Lombroso’s physical typology of atavistic traits had a real and lasting effect on America’s approach to criminality, recidivism, and imprisonment/punishment. In addition, Yerkes’ Army IQ tests strongly influenced the drafting and passage of the Immigration Restriction Act of 1924. When should scientific discoveries have a real-world effect on governance and policy?
In Chapter 5, Terman and his associate, Catherine Cox, began research on retroactively measuring the IQ of historical geniuses. According to Gould, their project illustrates the difficulty of measuring intelligence when the subjects of measurement are no longer living. If all the data were available on these individuals’ lives, would it be possible to rank their genius? Why or why not?
Although The Mismeasure of Man presents an argument debunking the search for heritable intelligence, the publication of The Bell Curve speaks to Gould’s argument that this is a cyclic phenomenon. As we move into the 21st century, will we continue to see similar arguments or research to justify heritable intelligence, or has this line of questioning permanently fallen out of favor?
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