The Bell Curve, published in 1994, was written by Richard
Herrnstein
and Charles Murray as a work designed to explain, using empirical
statistical
analysis, the variations in intelligence in American Society, raise some
warnings regarding the consequences of this intelligence gap, and propose
national social policy with the goal of mitigating the worst of the
consequences
attributed to this intelligence gap. Many of the assertions put forth
and conclusions reached by the authors are very controversial, ranging
from the relationships between low measured intelligence and anti-social
behavior, to the observed relationship between low African-American test
scores (compared to whites and Asians) and genetic factors in
intelligence
abilities. The book was released and received with a large public
response.
In the first several months of its release, 400,000 copies of the book
were sold around the world. Several thousand reviews and commentaries
have been written in the short time since the book's publication.