Table of Contents

Preface 1. The Many Faces of Intelligence 2. IQ: The Misconstruction of Intelligence 3. Does Biology Hold the Key? Searching Biology for Intelligence 4. Computations and Connections 5. Intelligent Systems 6. Constructive Intelligence 7. Social intelligence 8. The Intelligent Brain Epilogue: Promoting Human Intelligence Index

Promotional Information

What do we mean when we describe a person as intelligent? The concept of intelligence wields a powerful influence on research dealing with the brain and on how individuals progress in society. Yet, remarkably, there is no scientific consensus about the meaning of intelligence. Ken Richardson looks at how intelligence has been characterized and measured in the past, explores current trends in our understanding and uses of the concept, and predicts what form these trends will take in the future. From the writings of Charles Darwin and Herbert Spencer on evolution and adaptation to the reflections of Jean Piaget and Lev Vygotsky on logical reasoning; from the formulation of early IQ tests by Francis Binet and Henri Simon to their recent, provocative rebirth in the assertions of The Bell Curve by Charles Murray and Richard Herrnstein, The Making of Intelligence is a lucid, judicious, critical analysis of this controversial and important subject.

About the Author

Ken Richardson is Honorary Senior Research Fellow in the Centre for Human Development and Learning at the Open University, U.K. He is the author of Understanding Psychology, Understanding Intelligence, Models of Cognitive Development, and Origins of Human Potential.

Reviews

A carefully and clearly argued whodunnit. -- David Canter New Scientist This is a lot for a 200-page book to attempt, but the author does a very good job of providing useful correctives for a number of currently popular "fads" in the cognitive sciences in a concise, readable format. Library Journal A provocative attack on most past and present theories of intelligence...Good and provocative insights. Kirkus Reviews The book's big idea is that intelligence is not, as both common sense and professional view would have it, something private inside our heads... This is a quietly passionate polemic. Financial Times (London) Intelligent... Well-argued. -- John Cornwell The Sunday Times (London) Intriguing. The Guardian

A carefully and clearly argued whodunnit. -- David Canter New Scientist This is a lot for a 200-page book to attempt, but the author does a very good job of providing useful correctives for a number of currently popular "fads" in the cognitive sciences in a concise, readable format. Library Journal A provocative attack on most past and present theories of intelligence...Good and provocative insights. Kirkus Reviews The book's big idea is that intelligence is not, as both common sense and professional view would have it, something private inside our heads... This is a quietly passionate polemic. Financial Times (London) Intelligent... Well-argued. -- John Cornwell The Sunday Times (London) Intriguing. The Guardian