Seymour Itzkoff
Encyclopedia
Seymour William Itzkoff is an American
professor known for his research into intelligence. He has taught at Smith College
since 1965 where he is currently professor emeritus of education and child study.
, New York
, Itzkoff earned a B.A. degree from the University of Hartford
. While at school, he was a cellist with the Hartford Symphony Orchestra
; he then joined the United States Army
, playing in the U.S. Army Orchestra. He later taught elementary school while earning a master's degree in philosophy
from Columbia University
in 1956. While studying for his doctorate, he taught education at Hunter College
, CUNY. He earned his Ph.D. from Columbia in 1965, and took a position at Smith College
that year. Itzkoff was married while attending Columbia and subsequently had two children.
Itzkoff is a strong advocate of the effects of biological determinism
on intelligence. Itzkoff suggests in Why Humans Vary in Intelligence that hereditary factors probably account for 70% to 80% of variability in IQ. He has stated that standardized test
ability is difficult to improve, especially verbal ability.
Itzkoff's work on intelligence has been published in Mankind Quarterly
, and he has been a Pioneer Fund
recipient. The ensuing tension echoed similar problems faced by Pioneer Fund recipient Linda Gottfredson
at University of Delaware
. One historian wrote, "While the Delaware and Smith cases are unique, they illustrate an inherent tension between freedom in research
and other central academic values."
According to science journalist Malcolm Browne
, Itzkoff's 1994 book The Decline of Intelligence in America was one of a series of books that year which claimed Americans "probably no longer have the intellectual capital that can profit from the available educational resources." In 1994 he was one of 52 signatories on "Mainstream Science on Intelligence
," an editorial written by Linda Gottfredson
and published in the Wall Street Journal, which declared the consensus of the signing scholars on issues related to race and intelligence
following the publication of the book The Bell Curve
.
Itzkoff, who is an advocate of eugenics
, wrote the preface to John Glad
's 2008 book, Future Human Evolution: Eugenics in the Twenty-First Century, in which he states, "The real history of eugenics, as Dr. Glad points out, is rich in a truly liberal vision for the improvement in the state of all of humankind."
Itzkoff has published works on Jewish identity
and Jewish intelligence, as well as books outlining his predictions about 21st-century global crises and his recommended responses. He has also written about music, including a biography of cellist Emanuel Feuermann
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
professor known for his research into intelligence. He has taught at Smith College
Smith College
Smith College is a private, independent women's liberal arts college located in Northampton, Massachusetts. It is the largest member of the Seven Sisters...
since 1965 where he is currently professor emeritus of education and child study.
Life and career
Born in BrooklynBrooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, Itzkoff earned a B.A. degree from the University of Hartford
University of Hartford
The University of Hartford is a private, independent, nonsectarian, coeducational university located in West Hartford, Connecticut. The degree programs at the University of Hartford hold the highest levels of accreditation available in the US, including the Engineering Accreditation Commission of...
. While at school, he was a cellist with the Hartford Symphony Orchestra
Hartford Symphony Orchestra
The Hartford Symphony Orchestra is an American orchestra based in Hartford, Connecticut.-External links:* - Official site*...
; he then joined the United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
, playing in the U.S. Army Orchestra. He later taught elementary school while earning a master's degree in philosophy
Philosophy
Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational...
from Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
in 1956. While studying for his doctorate, he taught education at Hunter College
Hunter College
Hunter College, established in 1870, is a public university and one of the constituent colleges of the City University of New York, located on Manhattan's Upper East Side. Hunter grants undergraduate, graduate, and post-graduate degrees in more than one hundred fields of study, and is recognized...
, CUNY. He earned his Ph.D. from Columbia in 1965, and took a position at Smith College
Smith College
Smith College is a private, independent women's liberal arts college located in Northampton, Massachusetts. It is the largest member of the Seven Sisters...
that year. Itzkoff was married while attending Columbia and subsequently had two children.
Itzkoff is a strong advocate of the effects of biological determinism
Biological determinism
Biological determination is the interpretation of humans and human life from a strictly biological point of view, and it is closely related to genetic determinism...
on intelligence. Itzkoff suggests in Why Humans Vary in Intelligence that hereditary factors probably account for 70% to 80% of variability in IQ. He has stated that standardized test
Standardized test
A standardized test is a test that is administered and scored in a consistent, or "standard", manner. Standardized tests are designed in such a way that the questions, conditions for administering, scoring procedures, and interpretations are consistent and are administered and scored in a...
ability is difficult to improve, especially verbal ability.
Itzkoff's work on intelligence has been published in Mankind Quarterly
Mankind Quarterly
The Mankind Quarterly is a peer-reviewed academic journal dedicated to physical and cultural anthropology and is currently published by the Council for Social and Economic Studies in Washington, D.C. It contains articles on human evolution, intelligence, ethnography, linguistics, mythology,...
, and he has been a Pioneer Fund
Pioneer Fund
The Pioneer Fund is an American non-profit foundation established in 1937 "to advance the scientific study of heredity and human differences." Currently headed by psychology professor J. Philippe Rushton, the fund states that it focuses on projects it perceives will not be easily funded due to...
recipient. The ensuing tension echoed similar problems faced by Pioneer Fund recipient Linda Gottfredson
Linda Gottfredson
Linda Susanne Gottfredson is a professor of educational psychology at the University of Delaware and co-director of the Delaware-Johns Hopkins Project for the Study of Intelligence and Society. Gottfredson's work has been influential in shaping U.S...
at University of Delaware
University of Delaware
The university is organized into seven colleges:* College of Agriculture and Natural Resources* College of Arts and Sciences* Alfred Lerner College of Business and Economics* College of Earth, Ocean and Environment* College of Education and Human Development...
. One historian wrote, "While the Delaware and Smith cases are unique, they illustrate an inherent tension between freedom in research
Academic freedom
Academic freedom is the belief that the freedom of inquiry by students and faculty members is essential to the mission of the academy, and that scholars should have freedom to teach or communicate ideas or facts without being targeted for repression, job loss, or imprisonment.Academic freedom is a...
and other central academic values."
According to science journalist Malcolm Browne
Malcolm Browne
Malcolm Wilde Browne is a Pulitzer Prize-winning American journalist and photographer. His best known work is the award-winning photograph of the self-immolation of Buddhist monk Thích Quảng Đức in 1963.- Early life :...
, Itzkoff's 1994 book The Decline of Intelligence in America was one of a series of books that year which claimed Americans "probably no longer have the intellectual capital that can profit from the available educational resources." In 1994 he was one of 52 signatories on "Mainstream Science on Intelligence
Mainstream Science on Intelligence
Mainstream Science on Intelligence was a public statement issued by a group of academic researchers in fields allied to intelligence testing that claimed to present those findings widely accepted in the expert community...
," an editorial written by Linda Gottfredson
Linda Gottfredson
Linda Susanne Gottfredson is a professor of educational psychology at the University of Delaware and co-director of the Delaware-Johns Hopkins Project for the Study of Intelligence and Society. Gottfredson's work has been influential in shaping U.S...
and published in the Wall Street Journal, which declared the consensus of the signing scholars on issues related to race and intelligence
Race and intelligence
The connection between race and intelligence has been a subject of debate in both popular science and academic research since the inception of intelligence testing in the early 20th century...
following the publication of the book The Bell Curve
The Bell Curve
The Bell Curve is a best-selling and controversial 1994 book by the Harvard psychologist Richard J. Herrnstein and political scientist Charles Murray...
.
Itzkoff, who is an advocate of eugenics
Eugenics
Eugenics is the "applied science or the bio-social movement which advocates the use of practices aimed at improving the genetic composition of a population", usually referring to human populations. The origins of the concept of eugenics began with certain interpretations of Mendelian inheritance,...
, wrote the preface to John Glad
John Glad
John Glad is an American academic who specializes in the literature and politics of exile, especially Russian literature. Glad has written about Nazi Germany, World War II and the Holocaust. He received his Ph.D...
's 2008 book, Future Human Evolution: Eugenics in the Twenty-First Century, in which he states, "The real history of eugenics, as Dr. Glad points out, is rich in a truly liberal vision for the improvement in the state of all of humankind."
Itzkoff has published works on Jewish identity
Jewish identity
Jewish identity is the objective or subjective state of perceiving oneself as a Jew and as relating to being Jewish. Under the broader definition, the Jewish identity does not depend on whether or not a person is regarded as a Jew by others, or by an external set of religious, or legal, or...
and Jewish intelligence, as well as books outlining his predictions about 21st-century global crises and his recommended responses. He has also written about music, including a biography of cellist Emanuel Feuermann
Emanuel Feuermann
Emanuel Feuermann was an internationally celebrated cellist in the first half of the 20th century.-Biography:...
.
Selected bibliography
- Cultural Pluralism and American Education. International Textbook Co. 1969.
- Ernst Cassirer: Scientific Knowledge and the Concept of Man. University of Notre Dame Press, 1971. 2nd ed 1997, ISBN 9780268009373
- Emanuel Feuermann, Virtuoso. Internationale Kammermusik-Akademie, 1979. 2nd ed 1995, ISBN 9783926300195
- The form of man: the evolutionary origins of human intelligence. Paideia Publishers, 1983. ISBN 9780913993002
- Triumph of the Intelligent. Paideia Publishers, 1985. ISBN 9780913993019
- How We Learn to Read. Paideia Publishers, 1986. ISBN 9780913993040
- Why Humans Vary in Intelligence. Paideia Publishers, 1987. ISBN 9780913993095
- The Making of the Civilized Mind. P. Lang, 1990. ISBN 9780820411545
- The road to equality: evolution and social reality. Praeger, 1992. ISBN 9780275944001
- The Decline of Intelligence in America: A Strategy for National Renewal. Greenwood Publishing Group, 1994. ISBN 9780275944674
- Children Learning To Read: A Guide to Parents and Teachers. Praeger, 1996. ISBN 9780275954369
- The Inevitable Domination by Man: An Evolutionary Detective Story. Paideia Press, 2000. ISBN 9780913993163
- 2050: The Collapse of the Global Techno-Economy. Paidea Press, 2003. ISBN 9780913993194
- Intellectual Capital in Twenty-First-Century Politics (The Human Prospect, 3). Paideia Press, 2003. ISBN 9780913993200
- Who Are The Jews?: A Nation Of Philosophers. Paideia Press, 2004. ISBN 9780913993187
- Who Are The Jews?: Soul of the Israelites. Paideia Press, 2004. ISBN 9780913993170
- Rebuilding Western Civilization: Beyond The Twenty-first Century Collapse (Human Prospect). Paideia Press, 2005. ISBN 9780913993217
- Fatal Gift: Jewish Intelligence and Western Civilization (Who Are the Jews?). Paidea Press, 2006. ISBN 9780913993224
- Cultural pluralism and American education (The international series in foundations of education). International Textbook Co., 2006. ISBN 9780700222162
- The World Energy Crisis and the Task of Retrenchment: Reaching the Peak of Oil Production. Edwin Mellen Press, 2008. ISBN 9780773450561