Causes and consequences of intellectual stratification of society

Abstract

The article provides an analysis of the book “The Bell Curve”, in which the authors draw reasoned, sometimes contradictory conclusions about the stratification of American society and its development based on statistical analysis of intelligence data of Americans.

The authors of the book argue that after the democratic euphoria, Americans should come to terms with the idea that every individual has both weak and strong qualities. And therefore, differentiation of Americans is inevitable. And the problem arises when the question is, on what grounds it occurs sporadically.

According to the authors, American society is stratified on the basis of the level of intelligence of its members. In order to accept this thesis, it is necessary, first of all, according to the authors, to have a toolkit for examining intelligence. Given the debate about the validity and reliability of the available instruments, the authors of the book tend to believe that such instruments can be trusted, and therefore, the statistical distribution of Americans with respect to the level of intelligence reflects the true picture of the social cross- section of Americans.

Based on the results of the analysis, the authors come to the conclusion that over time American society is becoming more and more intellectually stratified. In addition to the above, the article presents the authors’ conclusions regarding the social consequences of such stratification.

The authors also touch on national and ethnic differences in the level of intelligence of individuals and the genetic factors of such differences, which are highlighted in the article.

 After that, a positive assessment of the conclusions of the authors of the book is expressed regarding the fact that in the interests of social harmony, individuals should come to terms with the idea that all people are different, uniquely individual, but they are part of the general society.

The “Bell curve” provoked a violent reaction in American society and beyond. As a result, a number of works have appeared in which both positive and negative evaluations are given to certain facts and conclusions of the authors. The article provides examples of the most relevant estimates.

In particular, emphasis is placed on the phenomenon of social Darwinism in relation to its application in the conditions of an antagonistically extra-class society. In addition, the article points out flaws noticed by critics, regarding the correctness of the statistical analysis of empirical data used by the authors of the book.

Undoubtedly, the article shows disagreement with certain positions of both positive and negative critics. As a result, a conclusion is made about the expediency of stratification of society for its effective development. There are still no answers on the basis of which such stratification is appropriate. Most likely, on the basis of the level of intelligence, that must be exhaustively filled and validly determined.