At 9:36 AM -0500 3/30/99, John W. Kulig wrote:
>Other tipsters quoting Gould may be right about Goddard's beliefs. All I know
>about him is what I read second hand. But what's the point? Why do we give a
>darn about what Goddard _really_ believed. We know there are racial
>differences in intelligence, though the full extent and cause of them is an
>unknowable because nobody studies them. But that doesn't stop people from
>having strong opinions about them.
.........
>So, in place of the usual treatment of Goddard as protrayed in our texts, let
>me make a modest proposal to remove the horns from his head, applaud his early
>efforts to utilize racial-free standards, and train future generations of
>psychologists to make continued progress in the fair and objective treatment
>of fellow humans.
John--
Basically, I agree with you; knowing the history doesn't change the real
problems which are in the present (though it might explain how we inherited
them).
I might differ about about what we 'know'.
Most geneticists and anthropologists do not accept the existence of human
'races' as genetically distinct groups (I know that we've gone through this
before;-).
We do know that there are differences in IQ test scores between ethnic groups.
You are right that the answer is better data.
It is a sensitive area because of a history of injustices. Goddard was a
part of that history, though hardly the cause of all our current problems.
Again, you are right that we've got to get past that history if we are
going to solve our very real and very current problems.
Regards--
* PAUL K. BRANDON [EMAIL PROTECTED] *
* Psychology Department 507-389-6217 *
* "The University formerly known as Mankato State" *
* http://www.mankato.msus.edu/dept/psych/welcome.html *
