Letter from Ernst Mayr to Francis Crick
- Contributor(s):
- Mayr, Ernst, 1904-2005 The Wellcome Library for the History and Understanding of Medicine. Francis Harry Compton Crick Papers Crick, Francis, 1916-2004
- Publication:
- Produced: 14 April 1971
- Language(s):
- English
- Format:
- Text
- Subject(s):
- Genetics Intelligence Continental Population Groups
- Genre(s):
- Archival Materials Letters (correspondence)
- Abstract:
- In his letter the evolutionary biologist Ernst Mayr commented on the contemporary debate in the United States about the role of genetics, race, and environment in human behavior. The debate was triggered by comments made by the Nobel Prize winning physicist William Shockley that the lag in educational achievements of black Americans could be accounted for by inherited racial traits, namely a lower IQ. Mayr rejected Shockley's thesis as racist and simplistic, calling instead for a research program in "positive eugenics," the idea of increasing the frequency of desirable traits by encouraging reproduction by individuals with these traits.
- Copyright:
- This item may be under copyright protection; contact the copyright owner for permission before re-use.
- Extent:
- 3 pages
- NLM Unique ID:
- 101584582X183 (See in Profiles in Science)
- Profiles in Science ID:
- SCBBMW
- Permanent Link:
- http://resource.nlm.nih.gov/101584582X183
- Archival Collection:
- The Francis Crick Papers (Profiles in Science)