Introduction
The late 19th and early 20th centuries were a fascinating yet unsettling period in anthropology. Scientists conducted various kinds of research; however, it was rather corrupt due to bigoted biases against marginalized groups of the time. This can have quite an adverse effect on society’s progress. The following text will depict one of those cases from Measuring Heads by Steven Jay Gould.
Example of Scientific Bias
Gustave Le Bon
One of the examples of prejudice guiding science is Gustave Le Bon’s statements about female brains. The man was responsible for the birth of social psychology and conducted a study on crowd behavior, titled La Psychologie des Foules, which is still referenced today. He believed that the size of women’s brains being closer to those of gorillas than the most advanced men’s brains was a verification of female intellectual inferiority (Gould, 1981).
Although the scientists believed that some women were “distinguished,” they were exceptions that could be ignored. Moreover, the man viewed the idea of granting women the right to education as an abomination, as he perceived it as a catalyst for social revolution. Thus, these views have had a significant but damaging impact on science and society.
Paul Broca
Another example of science being tarnished by preconceived biases was that of Paul Broca. He assessed 292 male brains and 140 female ones from autopsies, revealing that the former were 181 grams heavier than the latter. However, female brains are found in individuals older than male subjects. Moreover, he did not take the cause of the death of the brain retrieved from the deceased, although degenerative disease could explain the difference in size. Finally, Paul did not want to measure the effect of size, believing it to be irrelevant, as this parameter was attributed to women’s physical inferiority and was partially related to intellectual inferiority.
Conclusion
In summary, while the late 19th and early 20th centuries were a fascinating period for anthropology, the field was marred by prejudices against marginalized communities. Two examples are Paul Brioca’s study and Gustave Le Bon’s views. The former did not want to consider the effect of size, as he viewed it as irrelevant based on women’s physical inferiority. The latter perceived the similarity in size between women’s and gorillas’ brains as confirmation of women’s inferiority. Thus, this has harmed science, led to misguided research, and negatively impacted study results.
Reference
Gould, S. J. (1981). The mismeasure of man. W. W. Norton.