Where Have All the Liberals Gone?
Race, Class, and Ideals in America

A controversial, left wing discussion arguing that IQ gaps between black and white Americans are environmental not genetic.

James R. Flynn (Author)

9780521494311, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 15 September 2008

352 pages, 2 maps 16 tables
23.5 x 16 x 2.7 cm, 0.68 kg

'… Flynn combines political and moral philosophy with social psychology to argue passionately against the idea that we should rank races and classes. … he constructs a compelling case that any racial differences in IQ are caused by environment, not genetics … Flynn dissects, with scholarly precision, the four problems blighting US society. … His critique is sharp and convincing … Flynn's arguments are intimately bound up not just with empirical investigation but with passionate philosophical arguments …' Tribune

Professor James R. Flynn is renowned for his belief that the IQ gap between black and white Americans is not genetic, but environmental in origin. Flynn's controversial new book offers an alternative to the vision of American society popularized by Herrnstein and Murray in The Bell Curve and is a must-read for all those wanting to keep up to date with the IQ debate. It traces the history of American idealism from Jefferson to the followers of Leo Strauss; analyses the black marriage market, the case for affirmative action, the folly of Iraq, and the liberal failure of will; and concludes with a powerful defence of humane ideals and human autonomy. With its clear and attractive prose, social scientists, philosophers and the general public will find this a unique and exciting book that will rearm American idealism with new ideas.

Prologue
Part I. St. Thomas Jefferson: 1. Something beautiful is vanished
Part II. Blacks and the Pursuit of Happiness: 2. The lost boys
3. What Germany did that America has not
4. Do we want affirmative action for whites only?
Part III. Yours for a Better World: 5. Saving equality from the dustbin of history
6. Jefferson and Social Democracy
7. The America who would be king
Part IV. A History of Moral Confusion: 8. William James and Leo Strauss
9. The status of the good life
10. Choosing to be free
Epilogue
Appendix: Tables.

Subject Areas: Political science & theory [JPA], Intelligence & reasoning [JMRN], Social & political philosophy [HPS]