Jensenism

Jensenism is a term coined by New York Times writer Lee Edson. Named after educational psychologist Arthur Jensen, it was originally defined as "the theory that IQ is largely determined by the genes". The term was coined after Jensen published the article How Much Can We Boost IQ and Scholastic Achievement? in the Harvard Educational Review in 1969.[1] It has since been included in several dictionaries.[2] Many reactions to Jensen's article and the arguments it contained quickly ensued, some highly favorable and others relentlessly negative. Among the latter was a paper by behavior geneticist Jerry Hirsch, who claimed that Jensenism was an "intellectual disgrace", while also criticizing some of Jensen's earlier critics: "Time and again the opposition to Jensenism has resorted to inarticulate and self-defeating hooliganism, so easily perceived as fascist interference with academic freedom and unfettered scientific inquiry."[3] In a 1970 article responding to Jensen, biologist Richard Lewontin argued that Jensenism was a more recent manifestation of the 17th-century Christian heresy Jansenism, referring to the former as a "doctrine" that is "as erroneous in the twentieth century as it was in the seventeenth."[4] Evolutionary biologist Stephen Jay Gould also criticized Jensenism, arguing that it rested "on a rotten edifice."[5] Jensen's ideas reportedly received a more favorable reception in the Nixon administration; Lewontin quoted then-United States ambassador to India Daniel Patrick Moynihan in 1974 as saying, "The winds of Jensenism are blowing through Washington with gale force."[6]

More recently, several favorable articles defending Jensen and his ideas have criticized the frequent negative use of the term "Jensenism".[7][8] Linda Gottfredson, for example, claims:

Arthur Jensen is a masterful scientist whose work broke a social taboo. Jensenism refers to the aspect of his work that violated the [social] taboo, specifically his conclusion that individual differences in intelligence are highly heritable and group differences may be too."[9]

References

  1. ↑ Edson, Lee (1969-08-31). "jensenism, n. The theory that I.Q. is largely determined by the genes; jensenism, n. An I.Q. theory". The New York Times. Retrieved 2018-09-19.
  2. ↑ Jensen, Arthur R. (January 1998). "Jensen on "Jensenism"". Intelligence. 26 (3): 181–208. doi:10.1016/s0160-2896(99)80002-6. ISSN 0160-2896.
  3. ↑ Hirsch, Jerry (January 1975). "Jensenism: The Bankruptcy of "Science" Without Scholarship". Educational Theory. 25 (1): 3–27. doi:10.1111/j.1741-5446.1975.tb00663.x. ISSN 0013-2004.
  4. ↑ Lewontin, Richard C. (March 1970). "Race and Intelligence". Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists. 26 (3): 2–8. doi:10.1080/00963402.1970.11457774. ISSN 0096-3402.
  5. ↑ Woo, Elaine (2012-11-02). "Arthur Jensen dies at 89; his views on race and IQ created a furor". Los Angeles Times. ISSN 0458-3035. Retrieved 2018-09-19.
  6. ↑ Cohen, Bennett D. (1974-07-12). "Lewontin Tells 300 at Forum Race and I.Q. Are Not Linked". The Harvard Crimson. Retrieved 2018-09-19.
  7. ↑ Deary, Ian J.; Crawford, J.R. (January 1998). "A triarchic theory of Jensenism: Persistent, conservative reductionism". Intelligence. 26 (3): 273–282. doi:10.1016/s0160-2896(99)80011-7. ISSN 0160-2896.
  8. ↑ Kaufman, Alan S. (January 1998). "A new twist on Jensenism". Intelligence. 26 (3): 249–253. doi:10.1016/s0160-2896(99)80008-7. ISSN 0160-2896.
  9. ↑ Gottfredson, Linda S. (January 1998). "Jensen, Jensenism, and the sociology of intelligence". Intelligence. 26 (3): 291–299. doi:10.1016/s0160-2896(99)80013-0. ISSN 0160-2896.
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