Inequality by Design: Cracking the Bell Curve Myth
Encyclopedia
Inequality by Design: Cracking the Bell Curve Myth is a book by Claude S. Fischer
, Michael Hout, Martín Sánchez Jankowski, Samuel R. Lucas, Ann Swidler, and Kim Voss. The book is a reply to The Bell Curve
by Charles Murray
and Richard Hernstein and attempts to show that the arguments in the Bell Curve are flawed, that the data used by Murray and Herrnstein do not support their conclusion and that alternative explanations (particularly the effects of social inequality) better explain differences in IQ scores than genetic explanations.
but to some extent this focus is to illustrate a doctrine that the authors attempt to refute:
The book contends that Herrnstein and Murray's data explain, at best, only a limited amount of social inequality in the USA (between 5% to 10%) and that the analysis of the data in the Bell Curve is itself flawed.
Notable examples of such groups include Korea
ns in Japan
compared with Koreans in the USA, and the supposed change in perception of Jews
in the USA from being regarded as "dull" in the early twentieth century to being regarded as part of a "cognitive elite" now.
Claude S. Fischer
Claude Serge Fischer is an American sociologist and Professor of Sociology at the University of California, Berkeley. He has taught undergraduate and graduate courses in urban sociology, research methods, and American society at UC Berkeley.- Early life and career :Fischer was born in Paris,...
, Michael Hout, Martín Sánchez Jankowski, Samuel R. Lucas, Ann Swidler, and Kim Voss. The book is a reply to The Bell Curve
The Bell Curve
The Bell Curve is a best-selling and controversial 1994 book by the Harvard psychologist Richard J. Herrnstein and political scientist Charles Murray...
by Charles Murray
Charles Murray
Charles Murray is the name of:*Charles Murray, 1st Earl of Dunmore *Charles Augustus Murray , British author diplomat*Charles Murray, 7th Earl of Dunmore *Charles James Murray , British politician...
and Richard Hernstein and attempts to show that the arguments in the Bell Curve are flawed, that the data used by Murray and Herrnstein do not support their conclusion and that alternative explanations (particularly the effects of social inequality) better explain differences in IQ scores than genetic explanations.
The Bell Curve and social inequality
The book's particular focus is the book The Bell CurveThe Bell Curve
The Bell Curve is a best-selling and controversial 1994 book by the Harvard psychologist Richard J. Herrnstein and political scientist Charles Murray...
but to some extent this focus is to illustrate a doctrine that the authors attempt to refute:
At its base is a philosophy ages old: Human misery is natural and beyond human re-demption; inequality is fated; and people deserve, by virtue of their native talents, the positions they have in society. From that ideological base, Herrnstein and Murray build a case that critics cannot simply dismiss out of hand.
The book contends that Herrnstein and Murray's data explain, at best, only a limited amount of social inequality in the USA (between 5% to 10%) and that the analysis of the data in the Bell Curve is itself flawed.
Subordinate ethnic groups
In later chapters the book examines the supposed lower intelligence of a variety of ethnic groups in different societies and time periods. The book claims that ethnic groups placed in a subordinate role in caste system (or caste-like system) have poor school and test performance.subordination means material deprivation for students, which in turn impairs their achievement; two, subordination usually involves group segregation and concentration, which, by multiplying disadvantage and drawing all group members into difficult learning situations, undercuts academic achievement; and three, subordination produces a stigmatized identity of inferiority, which in turn breeds resignation or rebellion, both of which limit academic achievement. The histories of African Americans and Latino Americans, as well as their current conditions, more than suffice to explain why their members tend to score lower than whites on tests and also why they do less well in the race for success. The American case fits the global pattern; it is not genes but caste positions that explain the apparent differences in cognitive performance.
Notable examples of such groups include Korea
Korea
Korea ) is an East Asian geographic region that is currently divided into two separate sovereign states — North Korea and South Korea. Located on the Korean Peninsula, Korea is bordered by the People's Republic of China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the...
ns in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
compared with Koreans in the USA, and the supposed change in perception of Jews
Jews
The Jews , also known as the Jewish people, are a nation and ethnoreligious group originating in the Israelites or Hebrews of the Ancient Near East. The Jewish ethnicity, nationality, and religion are strongly interrelated, as Judaism is the traditional faith of the Jewish nation...
in the USA from being regarded as "dull" in the early twentieth century to being regarded as part of a "cognitive elite" now.
Reviews
- Boston Globe STUDIES HIT `BELL CURVE' LINKING OF RACE, IQ BOOKS SAY ENVIRONMENT, NOT HEREDITY, IS MAJOR DETERMINANT OF INTELLIGENCE May 7, 1996 Author: John Yemma, Globe Staff
- Civil Rights Journal, September 22, 1997 Author: Carlson, Ken
- New Statesman; Vol. 125 Issue 4315, Nurture v nature. 12/20/96-01/03/97 Author: Malik, Kenan http://connection.ebscohost.com:80/content/article/1029746472.html
- Journal of the American Statistical Association Date: March 1, 1999 Author: Sconing, James