Anthropologist and educator Ashley Montagu (1905-1999) focused
on human bio-social evolution and maintained throughout his long
career that cultural phenomena are not genetically
predetermined. In more than 50 books published for both an
academic and general readership, Montagu broadened understanding
of human social evolution. His topics ranged from human
aggression and the use of profanity to infant nurturing, the
importance of touch, and the nature of human love. Montagu
committed himself to popularizing the findings of modern science
in the hopes of improving civil society and the quality of life.
He brought his message to the public not only in books, but also
in college classrooms, lecture halls, articles appearing in
periodicals ranging from the Washington Post to Ladies' Home
Journal, and appearances on popular television talk shows. The
son of Jewish tailor Charles Ehrenberg and his wife, Mary Plot
Ehrenberg, Montagu was born Israel Ehrenberg on June 28, 1905.
He was raised in London's working class