| Description |
xvii, 401 pages ; 25 cm |
| Contents |
Mental abilities and Republican cultures. "The most precious gift of nature" : natural aristocracy, Republican polities, and the meanings of talent ; Mental capacities and orthodox minds : mental science, education, and the politics of individual difference ; All men are created equal? : anthropology, intelligence, and the science of race -- Individualizing intelligence through the science of difference. Between the art of the clinic and the precision of the laboratory : individual intelligence and the science of difference in Third Republic France ; American psychology and the seductions of IQ -- Merit, matter, and mind. Out of the lab and into the world : intelligence goes to war ; Intelligence and the politics of merit between the wars |
| Summary |
"In this wide-ranging account of American and French understandings of merit, talent, and intelligence over the past two centuries, John Carson tells the story of how two nations wrestled scientifically with human inequalities and their social and political implications. Surveying a broad array of political tracts, philosophical treatises, scientific works, and journalistic writings, Carson chronicles the gradual embrace of the IQ version of intelligence in the United States, while in France, the birthplace of the modern intelligence test, expert judgment was consistently prized above such quantitative measures. He also reveals the crucial role that determinations of, and contests over, merit have played in both societies - they have helped to organize educational systems, justify racial hierarchies, classify army recruits, and direct individuals onto particular educational and career paths."--BOOK JACKET |
| Bibliography |
Includes bibliographical references (pages [281]-385) and index |
| Subject |
Intelligence levels -- Social aspects -- France.
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Intelligence levels -- Social aspects -- United States.
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Intellect -- Social aspects -- France.
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Intellect -- Social aspects -- United States.
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Ability -- France.
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Ability -- United States.
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Equality -- France.
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Affirmative action programs in education -- France.
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Social stratification -- France.
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Social stratification -- United States.
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| LC no. |
2006006604 |
| ISBN |
9780691017150 (hbk.) |
|
0691017158 (hbk.) |
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