Charles A. Murray Boeken

Set in a small town in southwest Alabama, the narrative revolves around a family's life in a midsize house surrounded by a sprawling three-acre lot filled with pine trees. The protagonist reflects on their childhood task of collecting pine cones to prevent them from being shredded during lawn mowing, highlighting themes of family responsibility and the connection to nature. This seemingly simple chore serves as a backdrop for deeper explorations of family dynamics and the passage of time.

Provides an inside look at the birth of the lithium-ion battery, from its origins in academic labs to its transition to its new role as the future of automotive power. The book chronicles the piece-by-piece development of the battery, from its early years to its emergence in Japan where it served in camcorders, laptops, and cell phones.

All people are equal but, as Human Diversity explores, all groups of people are not the same -- a fascinating investigation of the genetics and neuroscience of human differences.

A survey of more than four thousand of history's most significant thinkers, achievers, and creators cites the contributions and influence of key figures in science, mathematics, philosophy, music, literature, and art.

"The charges of white privilege and systemic racism that are tearing the country apart fIoat free of reality. Two known facts, long since documented beyond reasonable doubt, need to be brought into the open and incorporated into the way we think about public policy: American whites, blacks, Hispanics, and Asians have different violent crime rates and different means and distributions of cognitive ability. The allegations of racism in policing, college admissions, segregation in housing, and hiring and promotions in the workplace ignore the ways in which the problems that prompt the allegations of systemic racism are driven by these two realities. What good can come of bringing them into the open? America's most precious ideal is what used to be known as the American Creed: People are not to be judged by where they came from, what social class they come from, or by race, color, or creed. They must be judged as individuals. The prevailing Progressive ideology repudiates that ideal, demanding instead that the state should judge people by their race, social origins, religion, sex, and sexual orientation. We on the center left and center right who are the American Creed's natural defenders have painted ourselves into a corner. We have been unwilling to say openly that different groups have significant group differences. Since we have not been willing to say that, we have been left defenseless against the claims that racism is to blame. What else could it be? We have been afraid to answer. We must. "Reality Check" is a step in that direction"-- Provided by publisher

The twin pillars of the nation created by America's Founders were strict limits on the power of central government and strict protections of individual rights. Now, at the close of the twentieth century, that state is gone - and Charles Murray wants to bring it back. In What It Means to Be a Libertarian, he offers a radical blueprint for overhauling our dysfunctional government and replacing it with a system that fosters human happiness because it safeguards human freedom. In this very personal book, Charles Murray paints a vivid portrait of life in a genuinely free society. He explains why limited government would lead to greater individual fulfillment, more vital communities, and a richer culture. He shows why such a society would have stronger families, fewer poor people, and would care for the less fortunate far better than does the society we have now.

Published in 1994, The Bell Curve caused uproar. Herrnstein and Murray claim that intelligence is the key factor in determining success in life. They also claim that it is genetic - you either have it or you don't - and that some ethnic groups are more intelligent than others. Herrnstein and Murray argue that black Americans are one of the most disadvantaged groups in American society not because of unjust social and economic systems or a history of oppression. Statistically, they say, black Americans live impoverished lives simply because they lack the intelligence to advance themselves. Liberals raged against these ideas, while conservatives praised the authors for voicing important, if controversial, arguments. Book jacket.

Žádný sociální program se nemůže vymanit z pasti, kterou bychom mohli nazývat Murrayho paradoxem. Čím účinnější je program, tím více podporuje chování, které chtěl původně eliminovat. Představme si, že existuje zázračná pilulka na narkomanie. Každý by ji chtěl vyzkoušet, protože by měl zajištěno vyléčení, což by vedlo k nárůstu užívání drog. Pokud by sociální programy fungovaly jako taková pilulka, staly by se kontraproduktivními. Lidé by se nezajímali o práci, pokud by měli jistotu rychlého vyřešení svých problémů. Ekonomové by to nazvali morálním hazardem. Naopak, pokud program nefunguje, daňoví poplatníci by utráceli peníze jen proto, aby si "koupili čisté svědomí". Murray dokládá svůj paradox na programu pomoci svobodným matkám, který byl tak štědrý, že se tisíce matek rozhodly nevdávat, aby si udržely podporu. Po letech existence programu se počet dětí žijících pouze s matkou nejenže nesnížil, ale vzrostl. Program také morálně oslabil děti, které se naučily spoléhat na sociální dávky, což vedlo k nezaměstnanosti a chudobě, čemuž měl program původně zabránit. Murray ukazuje, že vynaložené prostředky často neodpovídají kvalitě výsledků, a jeho kniha by měla být povinnou četbou pro tvůrce sociálních programů a politiky.

Murray identifikoval čtyři podmínky potřebné k tomu, abychom mohli svůj život považovat za dlouhodobě šťastný: pevná rodina, přátelé nebo fungující sousedská komunita, náboženství (nebo filozofie, která jej nahrazuje) a práce, která nás naplňuje. Hmotné zabezpečení je důležité, pokud nám pomáhá vést takový život. Sociální programy, které se pokoušejí kteroukoliv z těchto institucí nahradit, se nakonec ukážou jako destruktivní. Ch. Murray je autorem kontroverzním, jeho knihy vyvolávají bouřlivé a protikladné reakce, je předmětem ideologických útoků a profesionální kritiky stejně jako vysokého obdivu. Předmluvou vybavil Roman Joch.