Back to Reviews List

The Cattell Controversy: Race, Science, and Ideology

by William H. Tucker
University of Illinois Press, Urbana and Chicago, USA, 2009
272 pp., Trade, $50.00
ISBN: 978-0-252-03400-8.

Reviewed by John Vines
University of Plymouth

john.c.vines@googlemail.com

The Cattell Controversy is pivoted on events that took place at the 1997 American Psychological Association (APA) convention where Raymond Cattell — a prominent psychologist of the 20th century — had been selected to receive the American Psychological Foundation Gold-Medal Award for Life Achievement in Psychological Science as a result of his significant research of human intelligence and personality. The book explains how, in the build up to the convention, evidence was brought to the attention of the APA that claimed Cattell scientifically investigations of human personality traits and intelligence was propelled by a morally dubious ideology and political framework. On initial inspection, this evidence suggested Cattell’s working life was split between two worlds: in one an accomplished psychologist with hundreds of publications to his name, whilst in the other he utilized his perceived scientific authority as a far-right ideologist, which included the formation of a “scientifically-founded” religion (called Beyondism) that called for the explicit separation of races. Cattell, defining race as synonymous with culture, considered this provided a form of evolutionary competition where “some survive and some do not” [1]. The APA postponed the award in order to investigate the allegations, but Cattell withdrew his nomination before a thorough examination took place, passing away not long afterwards. The controversy still continues today; members of the APA believe the postponement and subsequent withdrawal should never have occurred as the award was proposed on the basis of interventions made in Psychological Science, not for any political agenda he had.

William H. Tucker was one of the voices that brought the initial objection to light, and in this book he forms an argument that highlights how the two worlds of Raymond Cattell cannot be considered as separate spheres of knowledge. The result is a thought provoking and systematically laid out argument that is clearly separated into several lengthy sections. The first describes the history of Cattell’s psychological research (focused upon human personality traits, factor analysis and intelligence) while the second outlines the basis of his moral beliefs that were born through an interpretation of evolutionary and eugenic thought. Thirdly, he shows how both of these are wrapped up and entwined with each other in Cattell’s development of his scientific religion of Beyondism. Finally, Tucker describes in detail the events leading up to the convention in 1997 and discusses the subsequent arguments made for and against the measures taken by the APA. Throughout, the author consistently reminds the reader as to the overall aim of the his argument, which is highlighting how Raymond Cattell was “not a case of a scientist who… …happened to have objectionable political opinions; Cattell’s political ideology and his science were inseparable from each other” (p. 4).

In forming the argument through the first two lengthy (and, on initial inspection, seemingly separate) histories of Cattell, the author rather cleverly provides a path for their integration through an analysis of Cattell’s ideological writing and the network of individuals and organizations he was associated with. The book describes the discovery and inspection Cattell’s vast body of writing in such a manner that makes it astonishing that experts in his academic community were so unaware of his racially discriminatory politicizing that his academic record was unblemished for so long.

Although on initial inspection a book with such a specialist topic may appear to have a rather limited appeal, it brings to the fore a number of issues that should be of concern to the numerous communities that draw upon, apply and disseminate empirical research. Tucker provides a compelling case for a greater awareness of how empirical observations still require a degree of human subjective intervention between their creation and application into society, going beyond the purely scientific analysis actioned by Cattell. Beyond this fairly broad insight, the author also brings to attention the oft-unnoted inter-relationship between the study of a particular subject, its theoretical and ideological surroundings and the investigator, scientist or artist. Although not addressed directly within the text, an underlying question appears to be whether it is possible to accept the findings of a line of research without a fuller awareness of this relationship and the implications this may have in broader contexts. The observations made by Tucker make it difficult to engage in a discussion of Raymond Cattell — and, of course, other scholars — that continues to consider the man, his science and his ethics as independent of each other.

Although first section of the book requires some effort on the part of an non-expert reader in engaging with various psychological terminologies and definitions (specifically the subject matter of human personality, intelligence and factor analysis) technical details never appear to be provided in greater detail than is necessary to advance the flow of the argument. There is little doubt this book would be of most relevance to students, educators and researchers working within areas such as the history of psychology, ethics and academic racism but the books implications go beyond these fields and is recommended reading to anyone with an interest in the history of the relationship between scientific methods, Western politics and culture.

Notes:

[1] R. Cattell, Beyondism: Religion from Science (New York Praeger, 1987) p. 20.