40 pages • 1 hour read
Stephen Jay GouldThe Mismeasure Of Man
Nonfiction | Book | Adult | Published in 1982A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Important Quotes
“Focus on those small, but fascinating, details that can pique people’s interest and illustrate generalities far better than overt and tendentious discussion.”
(Introduction to the Revised and Expanded Edition, Page 46)
By 1981, Gould had accrued substantial experience in writing science for popular audiences, and this formula of focusing on interesting details is a guiding tenant in his selection of chapter subjects. Moreover, his chapter on factor analysis proves how successful this strategy was in earlier chapters.
“We pass through this world but once. Few tragedies can be more extensive than the stunting of life, few injustices deeper than the denial of an opportunity to strive or even to hope, by a limit imposed from without, but falsely identified as lying within.”
(Introduction to the Revised and Expanded Edition, Page 50)
This quote encapsulates Gould’s deep and personal commitment to debunking an unjust, racist theory that has resulted in lifetimes of denied opportunities.
“Science, since people must do it, is a socially embedded activity.”
(Chapter 1, Page 53)
Gould has an interesting take on science, not as an objective exploration of the natural world, but as a uniquely human endeavor that is driven by social contexts, beliefs, feelings, emotions, and relationships.
