William Shockley was an American physicist who became involved in the study of the genetic basis of intelligence. During the 1960s, he argued, in a series of articles and speeches, that people of African descent have genetically inferior mental capacity when compared to those of Caucasian ancestry. Using data taken primarily from U.S. Army pre-induction IQ tests, Shockley came to the conclusion that the genetic component of a person's intelligence was based on racial heritage. He also surmised that the more white genes a person of African descent carried, the more closely his or her intelligence corresponded to that of the general white population. Shockley ignited further controversy with his suggestion that inferior individuals (those whose IQ numbered below 100) receive payment to undergo voluntary sterilization.

The social implications of Shockley's theories were, and still are profound. Many scholars regarded Shockley's whole analysis as flawed, and they rejected...