Human Diversity: The Biology of Gender, Race, and Class

by Charles Murray

Overview

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.

- 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.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781538744017
Publisher:	Grand Central Publishing
Publication date:	01/28/2020
Pages:	528
Sales rank:	314,132
Product dimensions:	9.10(w) x 6.30(h) x 2.00(d)

About the Author

Charles Murray is the W. H. Brady Scholar at the American Enterprise Institute. He came to national attention first in 1984 with Losing Ground and most recently in 2012 with Coming Apart. He lives with his wife in Burkittsville, Maryland.

Table of Contents

A Note on Presentation xi

Introduction 1

Part I "Gender Is a Social Construct"

1 A Framework for Thinking About Sex Differences 19

2 Sex Differences in Personality 30

3 Sex Differences in Neurocognitive Functioning 44

4 Sex Differences in Educational and Vocational Choices 68

5 Sex Differences in the Brain 93

Part II "Race Is a Social Construct"

6 A Framework for Thinking About Race Differences 133

7 Genetic Distinctiveness Among Ancestral Populations 141

8 Evolution Since Humans Left Africa 158

9 The Landscape of Ancestral Population Differences 182

Part III "Class Is a Function of Privilege"

10 A Framework for Thinking About Heritability and Class 209

11 The Ubiquity of Heritability and the Small Role of the Shared Environment 218

12 Abilities, Personality, and Success 228

13 Constraints and Potentials 241

Part IV Looking Ahead

14 The Shape of the Revolution 273

15 Reflections and Speculations 294

Acknowledgments 321

Appendix 1 Statistics for People Who Are Sure They Can't Learn Statistics 323

Appendix 2 Sexual Dimorphism in Humans 337

Appendix 3 Sex Differences in Brain Volumes and Variance 351

Notes 373

References 451

Index 491

Editorial Reviews

PRAISE FOR COMING APART:

"I'll be shocked if there's another book this year as important as Charles Murray's Coming Apart."—David Brooks, The New York Times

"Mr. Murray's sobering portrait is of a nation where millions of people are losing touch with the founding virtues that have long lent American lives purpose, direction and happiness."—Wall Street Journal

"[An] incisive, alarming, and hugely frustrating book about the state of American society."—Bloomberg Businessweek

"'Coming Apart brims with ideas about what ails America."—Economist

"[A] timely investigation into a worsening class divide no one can afford to ignore."—Publisher's Weekly

"[Murray] argues for the need to focus on what has made the U.S. exceptional beyond its wealth and military power...religion, marriage, industriousness, and morality."—Booklist (Starred Review)

From the Publisher