The Science Behind The Bell Curve :: Bell Curve Essays

The Science Behind The Bell thin The science behind The Bell keep out has been denounced by both the American psychological Association and the Human Genome Project. Its authors were unqualified to speak on each genetics or intelligence, since their expertise lay in other fields. Their draw did non rise through the usual system of academic publishing, and in fact the authors ducked the process of peer review. The Bell Curve was ultimately funded by the wealthy, far-right Bradley Foundation, which used its media connections to launch a massive national promotion campaign. And The Bell Curve relies heavily on studies that were financed by the Pioneer Fund, a neo-Nazi organization that promotes eugenicist research. The scientific basis of The Bell Curve is fraudulent. (1) With those words, the American Psychological Association denounced The Bell Curve, the controversial volume that claims that blacks generally have IQs 15 points lower than whites. The authors assert that because IQ is mostly genetic and unchangeable, programs promoting equality (affirmative action, welfare, leave Start, etc.) are a waste of money. For those unfamiliar with the American Psychological Association, it is the largest scientific and professional organization representing psychology in the United States, and includes over 142,000 members. The falsehood of how a scientifically unsound book like The Bell Curve bypassed the usual checks and balances of the scientific community reveals a great deal nearly how wealthy conservative businessmen are trying to create their hold alternate academia. To begin with, the authors of The Bell Curve were largely unqualified to write a book about genetics and IQ. Charles Murray is a political scientist, whose military capability lies in welfare and affirmative action issues. Richard Herrnstein (who died shortly before publication) was thence a psychologist, but he spent his career studying pigeons and rats, not genetics and IQ. In fact, Herrnstein never published anything in peer-reviewed journals about genetics and IQ during his entire 36-year career. (He did publish a few articles in frequent magazines.) The most that can be said for either of them is that they were familiar with the scientific method and were experts in fields that were distantly related to the topic. The writing of the book was shrouded in secrecy, but it was launched directly to the American public in a magnificently funded and organized media campaign, one that included cover stories in unsandedsweek, The New Republic and The New York Times Book Review.