Page "The Mismeasure of Man" Paragraph 18

In his review of The Mismeasure of Man, Arthur Jensen, a University of California ( Berkeley ) educational psychologist whom Gould much criticized in the book, wrote that Gould used straw man arguments to advance his opinions, misrepresented other scientists, and propounded a political agenda.

According to Jensen, the book was " a patent example " of the bias that political ideology imposes upon science — the very thing that Gould sought to portray in the book.

Jensen also criticized Gould for concentrating on long-disproven arguments ( noting that 71 % of the book's references preceded 1950 ), rather than addressing " anything currently regarded as important by scientists in the relevant fields ", suggesting that drawing conclusions from early human intelligence research is like condemning the contemporary automobile industry based upon the mechanical performance of the Ford Model T.