The dawn of idiocy: abnormality as the norm of human intelligence

Roof, David J.

Permalink

https://hdl.handle.net/2142/26207 Copy

Description

Title

The dawn of idiocy: abnormality as the norm of human intelligence

Author(s)

Roof, David J.

Issue Date

2011-08-25T22:18:52Z

Director of Research (if dissertation) or Advisor (if thesis)

Span, Christopher M.

Doctoral Committee Chair(s)

Span, Christopher M.

Committee Member(s)

• Anderson, James D.
• Hay, James W.
• McCarthy, Cameron R.

Department of Study

Educational Policy Studies

Discipline

Educational Policy Studies

Degree Granting Institution

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Degree Name

Ph.D.

Degree Level

Dissertation

Keyword(s)

• Education
• The science of intelligence
• History
• The concept of the abnormal in the history and philosophy of education

Abstract

This work examines how science used the abnormal to reconfigure the basis of human intelligence and linked thought to identity. This includes the belief that we inherit intellectual traits the same as physical characteristics. The heredity link between the abnormal and family lineage marked abandonment of cure in favor of social control intensified by the individual who appears normal. This figure justifies screening and classification. Social biology concerned with the welfare of society found a biological threat, which progressively led to sterilization, euthanasia, and genocide. This shift included the power to distribute individuals within a field as though it was real; revealing differences of ability; the realities of his abilities and the contents of the knowledge he is capable of acquiring. This work traces these ideas embedded in the formation of compulsory schooling, the school as social filter, a hyper-normative education system, and pedagogic-treatment for adherence to developmental and behavioral norms.

Graduation Semester

2011-08

Permalink

http://hdl.handle.net/2142/26207

Copyright and License Information

Copyright 2011 David J. Roof

Owning Collections