Saturday, February 23, 2013

Introduction

Hello everyone,

Every so often a book hits the marketplace that sparks a controversy unlike any other, and in the process gets misrepresented to the point where the original message of the book is nearly lost from the general public at large.

This blog will be about one such book, and the issues it explores. Nearly two decades ago, Richard J. Herrnstein (deceased) and Charles Murray published, "The Bell Curve: Intelligence and Class Structure in American Life." This book set off such a huge firestorm that the effects of it can still be felt today.

I have been aware of the book for some time ever since I knew about Murray's work critiquing the effectiveness of many government aid programs. But I never had the chance to read it until fall of last year. Since that time I have tried to explore as much of the debate over the issues raised in the book as I can. One thing that has struck me more than anything else is the massive disparity between what many have claimed the book is about and what the book actually tries to argue. Addressing this disparity will be one of the primary purposes of this blog.

Along the way anything else relevant to the subject matter of the book will be covered as well. Recently Murray has published a new book called, "Coming Apart: The State of White America, 1960-2010" which revisits some of the themes first addressed in "The Bell Curve." Relevant subject matter to that book will be discussed here as well.

In the meantime, I present to you Murray's interview on C-Span in which he discussed both the book itself and the controversy surrounding it:


A real shame that video cannot be embedded, but worth viewing nonetheless.