Ashley Montagu BiographyUnited Kingdom Flag

Born asIsrael Ehrenberg
Occup.Scientist
FromUnited Kingdom
BornJune 28, 1905
London, England
DiedNovember 26, 1999
Princeton, New Jersey, United States
CauseNatural causes
Aged94 years
Ashley Montagu, born as Israel Ehrenberg, was a British-American anthropologist, humanist, and writer who was renowned for his groundbreaking research on the nature of human beings. He was born on June 28, 1905, in London, England, to Polish Jewish parents. Montagu grew up in a family of intellectuals and artists, which instilled in him a love for learning and creativity. Despite facing adversity during his young life, including losing his mother at a young age and facing anti-Semitism, Montagu went on to become one of the most esteemed anthropologists of the 20th century.

Montagu received his BA and PhD in anthropology from the University of London in 1929 and 1937, respectively. He later moved to the United States, where he held positions at Columbia University and Rutgers University. Montagu was a prolific writer, publishing over sixty books and hundreds of articles in his lifetime. He was a renowned expert in the fields of human sexuality, child-rearing, genetics, and race, and he was committed to advancing the fields of human biology and cultural anthropology.

One of Montagu's most significant contributions to anthropology was his work on race. In his book, "Man's Most Dangerous Myth: The Fallacy of Race", Montagu argued that race was an arbitrary social construct, and there was no scientific basis for racial classification. He was a vocal opponent of racism and advocated for the importance of cultural differences, rather than biological ones.

Montagu also made significant contributions to the fields of human sexuality and child development. He was an advocate for sex education, arguing that it was necessary for individuals to have a healthy and fulfilling sex life. He believed that parents should be encouraged to be more open with their children about sex, and that sex education should be part of the standard school curriculum.

Montagu was a prolific writer of popular science books, and his works were read by millions around the world. He was a regular on television and radio shows, and his opinions were frequently sought by the media. Montagu was also a humanist, believing in the power of reason and empathy. Throughout his life, he was committed to social justice and worked to increase tolerance and understanding between people of different cultural backgrounds.

Montagu passed away on November 26, 1999, in Princeton, New Jersey, at the age of 94. Throughout his life, he made significant contributions to our understanding of human biology and culture, and he will be remembered as one of the most important anthropologists of the 20th century.

Our collection contains 15 quotes who is written / told by Ashley, under the main topics: Happiness - Death - Science.
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15 Famous quotes by Ashley Montagu

Small: Ashley Montagu: Human beings are the only creatures who are able to behave irrationally in the name of reason
"Human beings are the only creatures who are able to behave irrationally in the name of reason"
Small: Ashley Montagu: Hell has been described as a pocket edition of Chicago
"Hell has been described as a pocket edition of Chicago"
Small: Ashley Montagu: Girls marry for love. Boys marry because of a chronic irritation that causes them to gravitate
"Girls marry for love. Boys marry because of a chronic irritation that causes them to gravitate in the direction of objects with certain curvilinear properties"
Small: Ashley Montagu: By virtue of being born to humanity, every human being has a right to the development and fulf
"By virtue of being born to humanity, every human being has a right to the development and fulfillment of his potentialities as a human being"
Small: Ashley Montagu: There have been some medical schools in which somewhere along the assembly line, a faculty mem
"There have been some medical schools in which somewhere along the assembly line, a faculty member has informed the students, not so much by what he said but by what he did, that there is an intimate relation between curing and caring"
Small: Ashley Montagu: The principal contributor to loneliness in this country is television. What happens is that th
"The principal contributor to loneliness in this country is television. What happens is that the family 'gets together' alone"
Small: Ashley Montagu: The natural superiority of women is a biological fact, and a socially acknowledged reality
"The natural superiority of women is a biological fact, and a socially acknowledged reality"
Small: Ashley Montagu: The moments of happiness we enjoy take us by surprise. It is not that we seize them, but that
"The moments of happiness we enjoy take us by surprise. It is not that we seize them, but that they seize us"
Small: Ashley Montagu: The idea is to die young as late as possible
"The idea is to die young as late as possible"
Small: Ashley Montagu: The doctor has been taught to be interested not in health but in disease. What the public is t
"The doctor has been taught to be interested not in health but in disease. What the public is taught is that health is the cure for disease"
Small: Ashley Montagu: The deepest personal defeat suffered by human beings is constituted by the difference between
"The deepest personal defeat suffered by human beings is constituted by the difference between what one was capable of becoming and what one has in fact become"
Small: Ashley Montagu: The cultured man is an artist, an artist in humanity
"The cultured man is an artist, an artist in humanity"
Small: Ashley Montagu: Science has proof without any certainty. Creationists have certainty without any proof
"Science has proof without any certainty. Creationists have certainty without any proof"
Small: Ashley Montagu: One goes through school, college, medical school and ones internship learning little or nothin
"One goes through school, college, medical school and one's internship learning little or nothing about goodness but a good deal about success"
Small: Ashley Montagu: It is work, work that one delights in, that is the surest guarantor of happiness. But even her
"It is work, work that one delights in, that is the surest guarantor of happiness. But even here it is a work that has to be earned by labor in one's earlier years. One should labor so hard in youth that everything one does subsequently is easy by comparison"