Man's Most Dangerous Myth

The Fallacy of Race

By (author) Ashley Montagu

Publication date:

02 December 1997

Length of book:

704 pages

Publisher

AltaMira Press

ISBN-13: 9780803946477

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.

Part 1 Abridged Student Edition Table of Contents
Chapter 2 Foreword to the First Edition
Chapter 3 Foreword to the Sixth Edition
Chapter 4 Preface to the Sixth Edition
Chapter 5 Introduction
Chapter 6 1. The Origin of the Concept of Race
Chapter 7 2. The Fallaciousness of the Older Anthropological Conception of Race
Chapter 8 3. The Genetical Theory of Race
Chapter 9 4. The Biological Facts
Chapter 10 5. Natural Selection and the Mental Capacities of Humankind
Chapter 11 6. The Mythology of Race, or "For Whom the Bell Tolls"
Chapter 12 7. Race and Society
Chapter 13 8. Biological and Social Factors
Chapter 14 9. Psychological Factors
Chapter 15 10. Race and Culture
Chapter 16 11. Racism and Social Action
Chapter 17 12. Intelligence, IQ, and Race
Part 18 Unabridged Table of Contents
Chapter 19 Foreword to the First Edition
Chapter 20 Foreword to the Sixth Edition
Chapter 21 Preface to the Sixth Edition
Chapter 22 Introduction
Chapter 23 1. The Origin of the Concept of Race
Chapter 24 2. The Fallaciousness of the Older Anthropological Conception of Race
Chapter 25 3. The Genetical Theory of Race
Chapter 26 4. The Biological Facts
Chapter 27 5. Natural Selection and the Mental Capacities of Humankind
Chapter 28 6. The Mythology of Race, or "For Whom the Bell Tolls"
Chapter 29 7. Race and Society
Chapter 30 8. Biological and Social Factors
Chapter 31 9. Psychological Factors
Chapter 32 10. The Creative Power of Ethnic Mixture
Chapter 33 11. Eugenics, Genetics, and Race
Chapter 34 12. Race and Culture
Chapter 35 13. Race and War
Chapter 36 14. Race and Blood
Chapter 37 15. Innate Aggression and Race
Chapter 38 16. Myths Relating to the Physical Traits of Blacks
Chapter 39 17. Are the Jews a Race?
Chapter 40 18. The First Americans
Chapter 41 19. The Meaning of Equal Opportunity
Chapter 42 20. Race and Democracy
Chapter 43 21. Racism and Social Action
Chapter 44 22. Sociocultural Behavioral Influences
Chapter 45 23. Intelligence, IQ, and Race
Chapter 46 Appendix A: Ethnic Group and Race
Chapter 47 Appendix B: The Fallacy of the Primitive
Chapter 48 Appendix C: The Term Miscegination
Chapter 49 Appendix D: Intelligence of Northern Blacks and Southern Whites in the First World War
Chapter 50 Bibliography

This timeless work is more relevant today than ever.