Inevitable Differences: An Inquiry Into Human Variation

Humans, like every other species, vary in almost every characteristic. Some differences, like skin color, are visible, while others, like susceptibility to certain diseases or differential sensitivity to toxins, are not. Varied motivations and talents are only revealed through behavior. Self-identified black and white subpopulations in America have different biological and cultural origins, which means they have different repertoires of talents and interests. The black population was initially less well adapted to Western civilization than the white. The result was racial discrimination. Efforts to combat racism have been largely successful, but the subject’s sensitivity has inhibited critical inquiry into individual and group differences and allowed empirically and logically false conclusions to proliferate. This book is an attempt to look at human difference from an even-handed evolutionary point of view. We should recognize behavioral variation, make a place for everyone, and, above all, celebrate excellence.

John Staddon is the James B. Duke Professor of Psychology, and Professor of Biology Emeritus, at Duke University. He obtained his BSc at University College, London, and Ph.D. in Experimental Psychology at Harvard University, while also doing research at the MIT Systems Lab. He has done research at Oxford University (UK), the University of São Paulo at Riberão Preto, the University of Mexico, Ruhr Universität, Universität Konstanz, and the University of Western Australia. He is a fellow of several scientific organizations and holds an honorary doctorate from the Université Charles de Gaulle, Lille 3, France. He is a past editor of the journals Behavioural Processes and Behavior & Philosophy. His experimental and theoretical research is on the evolution and mechanisms of learning in humans and animals; he has also written on the history and philosophy of psychology, economics, and biology. Staddon frequently engages with such public policy issues as education, evolution, traffic control, IQ, the science, law, and politics of smoking, and the effects of social and psychobiological processes on financial markets. In 2021, the Wall Street Journal profiled him as a leading commentator on the current problems of science.