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Summary: mhmh
Review: quite interesting and not at all as racist as it is made to appear. IQ and race seems to be a hot topic in the US (and everywhere else also, i guess).
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Summary: SKETCHY STATS MAKE FOR DUBIOUS SCIENCE
Review: To sum up this book in 25 words or less, I'd say that Herrenstein and Murray above all give readers the absolutely false impression of The Bell Curve as being real science. This is a good read for those who want to brush up on their logic skills--every other sentence seems to call for a handwritten question or criticism in the margin. The statistical conclusions in this book alone are enough to render the work questionable. But throw in tons of contradictory information, racist ideology, and misinterpretation of conventional intelligence tests, and you've got yoruself an 800-page work of purely unsubstantiated rhetoric.
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Summary: Politically motivated tome based on flawed analysis
Review: Contrary to those reviews supporting the efficacy of the conclusions presented in the Bell Curve, the main reason for criticism of this book is the fact that the "analysis" performed by Hernstein and Murray is fatally flawed. In their haste to support their politically right-wing agenda they misinterpreted the research that they used as the basis for their conclusions. The genetic factor has long been known to be an extremely small component of what we call general intelligence. There are a number of separate and crucial mental abilities that play a role in the abilities of individuals. They overstate the rate of heritability of IQ by almost 30%, and ignore the effect that achieved level of education has on IQ scores. This effect, recognized widely to cause a 2.5% variation in IQ scores with each grade level completed, indicates the long understood futility in attempting to peg intelligence and capability to IQ tests. This book is a political treatise masquerading as a scientific report. It is the desperate attempt by the right-wing to lend some justification to the harsh social policies it endorses. It totally ignores the work of such luminaries as L. Luca Cavalli-Sforza, who presents a clear indictment of the culturally created concept of "Race".
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Summary: Concise and Statistically Valid
Review: This book is a definite "must-read" for any Social Science buff, or those curious on the "nature vs. nurture" debate. I disagreed, however, with some of the findings. One was where the authors "downplayed" social experiments like the "head-start" program and concluded that ultimately, I.Q. is the determining factor in the later successes of children who partook in this program...I say "downplay" because they did not cite any success stories of such programs, when in fact, there have been successes in these types of programs. Also, the authors argue that the "cream-of-the-crop" students from prestigious schools are the brightest and hand-picked by corporations...I beg to differ. I am an Engineer by profession, graduated from a "second-rank" institution, and therefore, in the Authors' eyes, not as smart as say, an MIT graduate. That may be true. However, I have advanced my career, and demonstrated more superior analytical decision making and have consistently made more contributions than my brighter MIT or CORNELL colleagues. In fact, I believe that some of these MIT and CORNELL guys are complete idiots when it comes to applying their "book-smarts" to real world situations. The authors fail to emphasize that there are attributes that may determine success that go beyond a high IQ, a $200,000 education, and a high SAT score. They did however do a good job with backing up their findings scientifically, and in an "unbiased" fashion.
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Summary: Flatters racists that their prejudices are really science
Review: Much as some folks would love to think that racial inequality is simply based on the laws of nature, the science in this book is laughable. The key studies that the authors rely on almost all were conducted by a small group of fringe researchers funded by the Pioneer Fund, a group dedicated to the advancement of eugenics. The analysis relies heavily on statistical fallacies that were debunked decades ago, and the logic is utterly circular. People wanting an honest scientific analysis of the claims of racial superiority should read Stephen Jay Gould's The Mismeasure of Man.
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Summary: An important and thought provoking book.
Review: An important and thought provoking book. While obviously a provocative topic, this book brings to the fore of the national conscious the important question of intelligence. Not in the shallow way assumed by many with the knee jerk, and frankly unfair, heading of racism, but under a heading of paramount importance to American society and culture. What is the composition of our citizenry? Is society structured in such a way that all can fully participate in the American society and culture? Viewed in this way the book is recognition of the need for equality of opportunity in a world where abilities are just not possibly equal.Far from posing an argument for racism, this book points out the commonsensical notion that in the realm of abilities, all are not equal. Given that obvious truth, what steps does society take to ensure that the essential elements of education, opportunity, and responsibilities are spread throughout the citizenry equally and to full effect? A great concern of mine is the failure of the education establishment, as well as the liberal philosophies that influence them, to see clearly the need for establishing an understanding of what it means to be a responsible citizen in a free society, and the absolute need for such if this society is to remain free. The challenge of "The Bell Curve" is to the liberal notion that individuals are not responsible for the variation in abilities, but that somehow society is. Challenging this sacred cow of liberalism is the real reason for the hue and cry about this book. The contribution of this book is the courage of the authors to at least raise the issue of individual differences, and the stresses and strains that places on society, to the level of a national discussion.
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Summary: Don't read the reviews, read the book!!!
Review: How can some reviewers brand these authors racist when the book concludes that races (Asians) other than their own (Europeans) do best on IQ tests and other measures of intelligence?? The book is about intelligence, who has it, who hasn't, and what it means to society when not all people are created equally. It is well written, researched, and unbiased. The conclusions of the book are as profound for China as for America, for the EU as for South Africa. We can't base our social policies on the assumption that everyone could graduate from MIT if only they were admitted.
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Summary: Some interesting stuff, but also some definate racism.
Review: Most of the book contains a scholarly and persuasive argument that high intelligence, measured as IQ, correlates excedingly well with all different kinds of success, and that low IQ correlates well with all kinds of personal and social problems. The authors further argue, again persuasively, that society is becoming increasingly divided along intelligence-based lines, and that this has negative societal consequences. These parts of the book are worth reading, even if you disagree with the data or the analysis. The authors seem sincere in their attempts to present the material with objectivity. Sadly, in the latter part of the book, the subject turns to race, and the authors demonstrate, to my satisfaction anyway, that they are in fact racists. Murray et. al. concede that the evidence does not allow a conclusion on the question of why african americans score lower on IQ tests than whites, but go on to state that they believe that the differences are genetic. They fail to explain why hispanics would also test poorly, as their ethnic background is to some extent aboriginal american and to some extent european. Native americans are not included in the discussion at all. I suspect this is because they test similarly to other repressed and disadvanaged groups (i.e. poorly) despite being genetically most similar to asians, from whom they descended, and who test well...higher in fact than ethnic europeans. This would at least raise the question of what african- and native- americans have in common (destruction-of/separation-from their cultural roots, subjugation, second-class citizenship, etc) that might explain the similar test results, since the ethnic connection is non-existant. If the book had ended after the first half, I think it might have been important. Instead it will be a footnote, filed under "racism".
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Summary: Utterly Courageous Science and Writing in an Age of Unreason
Review: Firm, thoroughly documented research and dispassionate analysis and explanations make this book a "must read" for any thinking person who wants to see our society progress, ethically and morally as well as technologically. We CANNOT build a better world based on how we'd like things to be, to the exclusion of how they actually are. We CANNOT legistlate equality (in abilities, as opposed to equal legal rights). All the nay-saying reviewers here never seem to have actually read the book! The one thing many (if not all) reviewers seem to miss is that in many ways, the authors are speaking up in defense of the "little guy", the one who's less intelligent than the elite. So if you're a little guy, and you want to start a business for example, you've got to fill out three million forms, pay off lawyers, regulators, environmental zealots (gotta make sure you don't kill any endangered bacteria), and on and on. Gotta jump all the hurdles erected by the intelligent elites. What, you're too STUPID to fill out all our reams and reams of verbose paperwork? No place at the elite's tables for you, stupid slime! Licenses, regulations, lawyers, degree-ism; all these barriers and more do we set up in the way of the less intelligent. "Bell Curve" speaks out against this, and commendably so!
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Summary: Race is a biological concept but it is a social reality.
Review: Race is a biological concept but it is a social reality. The book raises the questions and the supporting data that are offensive, and emotions are high on all sides. The people who reject this book should clam down and actually look at the data and the reasoning in this book, and try to answer the tough questions. Race per sec does not matter, nor it determines IQ. It is the social culture that is behind a race that matters (attitudes toward eduaction, working habits ...etc), as shown on this book. Believing all races are created equally in all aspects may provide one the feeling of instant moral superiority, but history suggests, and the data on this book indicates, that ideal world are just imaginations.
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