I've been reading "Understanding Human History" by Michael Hart which is in the same genre, when my daughter gave me "A Brain For All Seasons" to check out. William Calvin's book is sloppy, repetitive, heavily biased and patronizing. For example, when discussing the r-K continuum among human groups he talks down to us stupid people (anybody who would read this and think it was good must fit into this category) by explaining that a genetically controlled trait might be a "package deal" like getting leather seats and power windows together in a car. Look clown, you don't have to talk down to your audience unless you are writing your book for a bunch or morons (he was).
In another case he says that IQ does not have anything to do with intelligence (predicts whether you'll succeed in college, life, etc though!) and brain size differ between Asians and Blacks by more than 2 percent, and that wouldn't make much difference. Huh? 1370 (average Asian brain size) - 1270 cc (average black brain size)/1270 equals 7.9% on my calculator. Obviously he isn't the genius he thinks he is.
In another passage he says the Chinese failed to continue their seafaring expeditions (and go on to "discover" Europe) due to politics. This is true. He then goes on to put it into context, "you would have to imagine an ultraconservative takeover of the US that, for some reason, frowned on both airplanes and computers". Really? In the 1970's the "Progressives" told us we had to stop going to the Moon, put off going to Mars and stop launching money into space to spend it on the people on the earth. Seems like Mr. Calvin has it backwards. Besides, no one could call the Chinese conservative, they ALWAYS vote Democrat in the US. It's probably their progressive dictatorial proclivities that brought those westbound ships home, not the profit seeking conservative traits that the Europeans had when they sought gold and spice, tea and slaves when they conquered the entire world.
From there he goes on to tell us that hot means cold, warming means cooling, big brains helped evolution but didn't help Europeans and Chinese invent more stuff than Africans. What a clown.
People interested in science and real evolution cause and effect would be better off with Understanding Human History by Michael Hart. This guy is just a mouthpiece for bad math, bad science, and more government control of our economy.

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