
Inevitable Differences
An Inquiry Into Human Variation
John Staddon(Author)
Academica Press
Will be published approx. on 15. December 2025
Book
Hardback
200 pages
978-1-68053-359-0 (ISBN)
Description
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.
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
Bethesda
United States
Target group
Professional and scholarly
Product notice
sewn/stitched
Cloth over boards
Dimensions
Height: 229 mm
Width: 152 mm
Thickness: 11 mm
Weight
404 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-68053-359-0 (9781680533590)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions

E-Book
01/2026
Academica Press
€78.49
Available for download
Person
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 Sao Paulo at Riberao Preto, the University of Mexico, Ruhr Universitaet, Universitaet Konstanz, and the University of Western Australia. He is a fellow of several scientific organizations and holds an honorary doctorate from the Universite 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.