Man’s Most Dangerous Myth: The Fallacy of Race, Sixth Edition

Man's Most Dangerous Myth was first published in 1942, when Nazism flourished, when African Americans sat at the back of the bus, and when race was considered the determinant of people's character and intelligence. It presented a revolutionary theory for its time; breaking the link between genetics and culture, it argued that race is largely a social construction and not constitutive of significant biological differences between people. In the ensuing 55 years, as Ashley Montagu's radical hypothesis became accepted knowledge, succeeding editions of his book traced the changes in our conceptions of race and race relations over the 20th century. Now, over 50 years later, Man's Most Dangerous Myth is back in print, fully revised by the original author. Montagu is internationally renowned for his work on race, as well as for such influential books as The Natural Superiority of Women, Touching, and The Elephant Man. This new edition contains Montagu's most complete explication of his theory and a thorough updating of previous editions. The Sixth Edition takes on the issues of the Bell Curve, IQ testing, ethnic cleansing and other current race relations topics, as well as contemporary restatements of topics previously addressed. A bibliography of almost 3,000 published items on race, compiled over a lifetime of work, is of enormous research value. Also available is an abridged student edition containing the essence of Montagu's argument, its policy implications, and his thoughts on contemporary race issues for use in classrooms. Ahead of its time in 1942, Montagu's arguments still contribute essential and salient perspectives as we face the issue of race in the 1990s. Man's Most Dangerous Myth is the seminal work of one of the 20th century's leading intellectuals, essential reading for all scholars and students of race relations. "Man's Most Dangerous Myth was first published in 1942, when Nazism flourished, when African Americans sat at the back of the bus, and when race was considered the determinant of people's character and intelligcnce. Ashley Montagu presented a revolutionary theory for his time: Breaking the link between genetics and culture, he argued that race is largely a social construction, and not constitutive of significant biological differences between people." "This new edition contains Montagu's most complete explication of his theory and a thorough updating of previous editions. The sixth edition takes on the issues of the Bell Curve, IQ testing, ethnic cleansing, and other contemporary race relations topics, as well as contemporary restatements of topics in previous editions. A bibliography of over 3,000 published items on race, compiled over a lifetime of work, is of enormous research value. Also available is an abridged student edition containing the essence of Montagu's argument, its policy implications, and his thoughts on contemporary race issues for use in classrooms. Ahead of its time in 1942, Montagu's arguments still contribute essential and salient perspectives as we face issues of race in the 1990s."--Jacket Acknowledgments About the Author "Foreword to the First Edition", by Aldous Huxley "Foreword to the Sixth Edition", by C. Loring Brace "Preface to the Sixth Edition", by John H. Stanfield II Introduction 1. The Origin of the Concept of Race 2. The Fallaciousness of the Older Anthropological Conception of Race 3. The Genetical Theory of Race 4. The Biological Facts 5. Natural Selection and the Mental Capacities of Humankind 6. The Mythology of Race, or "For Whom the Bell Tolls" 7. Race and Society 8. Biological and Social Factors 9. Psychological Factors 10. The Creative Power of Ethnic Mixture 11. Eugenics, Genetics, and Race 12. Race and Culture 13. Race and War 14. Race and Blood 15. Innate Aggression and Race 16. Myths Relating to the Physical Traits of Blacks 17. Are the Jews a Race? 18. The First Americans 19. The Meaning of Equal Opportunity 20. Race and Democracy 21. Racism and Social Action 22. Sociocultural Behavioral Influences 23. Intelligence, IQ and Race Appendix A: Ethnic Group and Race Appendix B: The Fallacy of the Primitive Appendix C: The Term Miscegenation Appendix D: Intelligence of Northern Blacks and Southern Whites in the First World War Bibliography Index