THE WINDOW DRESSING BEHIND THE BELL-CURVE

This article provides a critique of the conceptual framework on which Herrnstein and Murray's book entitled The Bell Curve: Intelligence and Class Structure in American Life is based. The conclusions that the a uthors draw from the data on intelligence presented in the text are gr ounded in the classical tradition. While their analysis of the data an d interpretation of it may be consistent with most aspects of the clas sical perspective, the conclusions and policy recommendations are base d on assumptions that are not grounded in the data. Some of the limita tions to the scientific integrity of their analysis and the philosophi cal assumptions guiding their analysis is discussed.