The first quantitative analysis of human mental ability. Galton introduced the notion that mental ability was normally distributed in much the same ways as are physical traits. His strong nativistic perspective served as the point of origin for the nature/nurture debate in its modern form.

Hereditary Genius (Classics in Psychology)

Health, Fitness & Dieting

Francis Galton

Psychology & Counseling

PALGRAVE~MACMILLAN

Memories of My Life

Franklin Classics Trade Press

Francis Galton's Art of travel (1872): A reprint of The art of travel; or, Shifts and contrivances available in wild countries

Travel

Stackpole Books

Hereditary Genius

J Friedmann

As the author later said, this book's title should have been "Hereditary Ability."  This pioneering work in the study of hereditary and human ability laid the groundwork for the science of eugenics, inheritance and intelligence studies.   Galton's methodology consisted of making a list of eminent people and their extended relations to determine how many prominent relatives they had.  If genius was hereditary, Galton reasoned, there should be more eminent people among the relatives than among the general population.  He also proposed a number of methods to separate the effects of heredity and environment, which included adoption studies and trans-racial adoption studies.  The conclusion to which all the data propelled Galton was that intelligence was clearly hereditary. A groundbreaking work, now despised, but as valid as the day it was written.

Literature & Fiction

Literary

Blurb

Essays in Eugenics

<p>Galton was instrumental in the formulation of 'eugenics', which seeks to improve the human stock and prevent the degeneration of genetic potential. He introduced the very word "eugenics" and the phrase "nature versus nature." This book consists of a number of lectures delivered by the author during the early part of the twentieth century dealing with the following topics: The Possible Improvement of the Human Breed under Existing Conditions of Law and Sentiment; Eugenics, its Definition, Scope, and Aims; Restrictions in Marriage Studies in National Eugenics; Eugenics as a Factor in Religion; Probability, the Foundation of Eugenics; and Local Associations for Promoting Eugenics.</p>

Finger Prints

Crafts, Hobbies & Home

Createspace

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Books by Francis Galton