Human diversity The biology of gender, race, and class
Book - 2020
All people are equal but, as Human Diversity explores, all groups of people are not the same -- a fascinating investigation of the genetics and neuroscience of human differences. The thesis of Human Diversity is that advances in genetics and neuroscience are overthrowing an intellectual orthodoxy that has ruled the social sciences for decades. The core of the orthodoxy consists of three dogmas: gender is a social construct, race is a social construct, and class is a function of privilege. The problem is that all three dogmas are half-truths. They have stifled progress in understanding the rich texture that biology adds to our understanding of the social, political, and economic worlds we live in. It is not a story to be feared. "There ...are no monsters in the closet," Murray writes, "no dread doors we must fear opening." But it is a story that needs telling. Human Diversity does so without sensationalism, drawing on the most authoritative scientific findings, celebrating both our many differences and our common humanity.
- Subjects
- Genres
- Creative nonfiction
- Published
-
New York :
Twelve
[2020]
- Language
- English
- Main Author
- Edition
- First edition
- Physical Description
- x, 508 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm
- Bibliography
- Includes bibliographical references (pages 373-489) and index.
- ISBN
- 9781538744017
- A Note on Presentation
- Introduction
- Part I. "Gender Is a Social Construct"
- 1. A Framework for Thinking About Sex Differences
- 2. Sex Differences in Personality
- 3. Sex Differences in Neurocognitive Functioning
- 4. Sex Differences in Educational and Vocational Choices
- 5. Sex Differences in the Brain
- Part II. "Race Is a Social Construct"
- 6. A Framework for Thinking About Race Differences
- 7. Genetic Distinctiveness Among Ancestral Populations
- 8. Evolution Since Humans Left Africa
- 9. The Landscape of Ancestral Population Differences
- Part III. "Class Is a Function of Privilege"
- 10. A Framework for Thinking About Heritability and Class
- 11. The Ubiquity of Heritability and the Small Role of the Shared Environment
- 12. Abilities, Personality, and Success
- 13. Constraints and Potentials
- Part IV. Looking Ahead
- 14. The Shape of the Revolution
- 15. Reflections and Speculations
- Acknowledgments
- Appendix 1. Statistics for People Who Are Sure They Can't Learn Statistics
- Appendix 2. Sexual Dimorphism in Humans
- Appendix 3. Sex Differences in Brain Volumes and Variance
- Notes
- References
- Index