# Introduction
***The Mismeasure of Man*** is a 1981 book by paleontologist [Stephen Jay Gould](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stephen_Jay_Gould "Stephen Jay Gould"). The book is both a [history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_science "History of science") and critique of the statistical methods and cultural motivations underlying [biological determinism](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biological_determinism "Biological determinism"), the belief that "the social and economic differences between human groups—primarily [races](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Race_(classification_of_human_beings) "Race (classification of human beings)"), [classes](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_class "Social class"), and [sexes](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sex "Sex")—arise from inherited, inborn distinctions and that [society](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Society "Society"), in this sense, is an accurate reflection of biology".
Gould argues that the primary assumption underlying biological determinism is that "worth can be assigned to individuals and groups by *measuring [intelligence as a single quantity](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intelligence_quotient "Intelligence quotient")*". Biological determinism is analyzed in discussions of [craniometry](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Craniometry "Craniometry") and [psychological testing](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psychological_testing "Psychological testing"), the two principal methods used to measure intelligence as a single quantity. According to Gould, these methods possess two deep fallacies. The first fallacy is [reification](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reification_(fallacy) "Reification (fallacy)"), which is "our tendency to convert abstract concepts into entities". Examples of reification include the [intelligence quotient](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intelligence_quotient "Intelligence quotient") (IQ) and the [general intelligence factor](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/General_intelligence_factor "General intelligence factor") (*g* factor), which have been the cornerstones of much research into human [intelligence](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intelligence "Intelligence"). The second fallacy is that of "ranking", which is the "propensity for ordering complex variation as a gradual ascending scale".
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