Jensen's views on intelligence and a pre‐empirical image of man

Abstract

The traditional definition of equality of opportunity in education has rested on a tacit assumption that intelligence is like some Aristotelian quality of which each individual possesses a fixed quantity that remains constant through life. It was also assumed that this special quintessence could be distilled in its pure form and in its entirety (irrespective of the social origins of the individual) by the application of scientifically structured tests designed according to advanced theories in psychology. These assumptions remained unchallenged for so long because they represented what appeared to be a breakthrough in achieving scientific objectivity in areas which had previously remained in the shadow of the mystery of man's nature. The stress on objectivity led to the further assumption that such tests and theories were valuefree.