Hereditary Genius

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. As the author later said, this book’s title should have been “Hereditary Ability.”Sir Francis Galton (1822–1911), was an English Victorian polymath, anthropologist, eugenicist, tropical explorer, geographer, inventor, meteorologist, proto-geneticist, pyschometrician, statistician and founder of the science of eugenics. He was knighted in 1909. Exact reproduction of the original.Contents Introductory Chapter Classification of Men According to Their Reputation Classification of Men According to Their Natural Gifts Comparison of the Two Classifications Notation The Judges of England Between 1660 and 1865 Statesmen English Peerages, Their Influence Upon Race Commanders Literary Men Men of Science Poets Musicians Painters Divines Senior Classics of Cambridge Oarsmen Wrestlers of The North Country Comparison of Results The Comparative Worth of Different Races Influences That Affect the Natural Ability of Nations General Considerations Appendix Index