Stephen Jay Gould

American biologist and historian of science (1941–2002)
Person human Q180619
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Stephen Jay Gould

Summary

Stephen Jay Gould is a human[1]. He was born in Queens[2]. He was born on September 10, 1941[3]. He passed away in New York City[4]. He died on May 20, 2002[5]. He worked as an evolutionary biologist[6], paleontologist[7], writer[8], philosopher[9], and university teacher[10]. He ranks in the top 0.65% of human entities by monthly Wikipedia readership (2,122 views/month, #6,527 of 1,000,298).[11]

Key Facts

  • Stephen Jay Gould was born in Queens[2].
  • Stephen Jay Gould passed away in New York City[4].
  • Stephen Jay Gould was born on September 10, 1941[3].
  • Stephen Jay Gould died on May 20, 2002[5].
  • Among Stephen Jay Gould's spouses was Rhonda Roland Shearer[12].
  • Stephen Jay Gould held citizenship in United States[13].
  • Stephen Jay Gould's professions included evolutionary biologist[6].
  • Stephen Jay Gould worked as a paleontologist[7].
  • Stephen Jay Gould worked as a writer[8].
  • Stephen Jay Gould's professions included philosopher[9].
  • Stephen Jay Gould's professions included university teacher[10].
  • Stephen Jay Gould's professions included historian[14].
  • Stephen Jay Gould's field of work was paleontology[15].
  • Stephen Jay Gould's field of work was history of science[16].
  • Stephen Jay Gould's field of work was evolution[17].
  • Stephen Jay Gould was employed by Harvard University[18].
  • Among Stephen Jay Gould's employers was New York University[19].
  • Among Stephen Jay Gould's employers was American Museum of Natural History[20].
  • Stephen Jay Gould's education included a stint at Antioch University[21].
  • Stephen Jay Gould's education included a stint at University of Leeds[22].
  • Stephen Jay Gould's education included a stint at Antioch College[23].
  • Stephen Jay Gould's education included a stint at Columbia University[24].
  • Stephen Jay Gould was educated at Harvard University[25].
  • Stephen Jay Gould was educated at Jamaica High School[26].
  • Stephen Jay Gould's doctoral advisor was Norman D. Newell[27].

Body

Origins and Family

Stephen Jay Gould was born in Queens[2]. He was born on September 10, 1941[3].

Education

Educated at Antioch University[21], a university[28], in United States[29], founded in 1978[30]; University of Leeds[22], a public research university[31], in United Kingdom[32], founded in 1904[33], headquartered in Leeds[34]; Antioch College[23], a liberal arts college in the United States[35], in United States[36], founded in 1850[37]; Columbia University[24], a private university[38], in United States[39], founded in 1754[40], headquartered in Manhattan[41]; Harvard University[25], a private university[42], in United States[43], founded in 1636[44], headquartered in Cambridge[45]; and Jamaica High School[26], a high school[46], in United States[47], founded in 1892[48]. Stephen Jay Gould's doctoral advisor was Norman D. Newell[27].

Career and Affiliations

Recorded occupations include evolutionary biologist[6], paleontologist[7], writer[8], philosopher[9], university teacher[10], and historian[14]. Fields of work include paleontology[15], an academic discipline[49]; history of science[16], an academic discipline[50]; and evolution[17], a type of process[51]. Employers include Harvard University[18], a private university[52], in United States[53], founded in 1636[54], headquartered in Cambridge[55]; New York University[19], a private university[56], in United States[57], founded in 1831[58], headquartered in New York City[59]; and American Museum of Natural History[20], a natural history museum[60], in United States[61], founded in 1869[62], headquartered in New York City[63]. Stephen Jay Gould supervised Emily Cobabe-Ammann as a doctoral student[64].

Recognition

Awards received include National Book Award[65], a literary award[66], in United States[67], founded in 1936[68]; Humanist of the Year[69], an award[70]; William Procter Prize for Scientific Achievement[71], a science award[72], in United States[73], founded in 1950[74]; Paleontological Society Medal[75], a science award[76], in United States[77]; Library of Congress Living Legend[78]; and Charles Schuchert Award[79].

Personal Life

Among Stephen Jay Gould's spouses was Rhonda Roland Shearer[12]. His religion is recorded as agnosticism[80].

Death and Burial

Stephen Jay Gould died on May 20, 2002[5]. He passed away in New York City[4]. The cause of death was lung cancer[81].

Works and Contributions

Things named for Stephen Jay Gould include 8373 Stephengould[82].

Why It Matters

Stephen Jay Gould ranks in the top 0.65% of human entities by monthly Wikipedia readership (2,122 views/month, #6,527 of 1,000,298).[11] He has Wikipedia articles in 26 language editions, a strong signal of global cultural recognition.[83] He is known by 33 alternative names across languages and contexts.[84]

He is credited with the discovery of non-overlapping magisteria[85], a philosophy of science[86]. Works attributed to him include The Mismeasure of Man[87], a written work[88]; Wonderful Life[89], a written work[90]; The Panda's Thumb[91], a written work[92]; The spandrels of San Marco and the Panglossian paradigm: a critique of the adaptationist programme[93], a scholarly article[94]; The Structure of Evolutionary Theory[95], a literary work[96]; and Rocks of Ages[97], a literary work[98]. Entities named for him include 8373 Stephengould[82].

FAQs

Where was Stephen Jay Gould born?

Born in Queens[2], Stephen Jay Gould…

Where did Stephen Jay Gould die?

Stephen Jay Gould passed away in New York City[4].

Who was Stephen Jay Gould married to?

Stephen Jay Gould's spouses include Rhonda Roland Shearer[12].

What did Stephen Jay Gould do for work?

Stephen Jay Gould worked as evolutionary biologist[6], paleontologist[7], writer[8], philosopher[9], and university teacher[10].

Where did Stephen Jay Gould go to school?

Stephen Jay Gould was educated at Antioch University[21], University of Leeds[22], Antioch College[23], and Columbia University[24].

What awards did Stephen Jay Gould receive?

Honors received include National Book Award[65], Humanist of the Year[69], William Procter Prize for Scientific Achievement[71], and Paleontological Society Medal[75].

What did Stephen Jay Gould discover?

Stephen Jay Gould is credited as discoverer of non-overlapping magisteria[85].

References

Programmatic citations — every numbered marker resolves to a verifiable graph row below.

Direct Wikidata claims

  1. [2] . wikidata.org.
  2. [4] . muse.jhu.edu. muse.jhu.edu. Provenance: wikidata.org.
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  33. [3] . BnF authorities. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  34. [5] . BnF authorities. Retrieved . wikidata.org.

Inverse relationships (entities pointing at this one)

  1. [85] . wikidata.org. → on this site
  2. [87] . wikidata.org. → on this site
  3. [89] . wikidata.org. → on this site
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  7. [97] . wikidata.org. → on this site
  8. [82] . wikidata.org. → on this site

Inline context (facts about related entities)

  1. [28] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  2. [29] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  3. [30] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
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Class ancestry

  1. [1] . Wikidata. wikidata.org.

Aggregate / graph-position facts

  1. [11] . Wikimedia Foundation. dumps.wikimedia.org.
  2. [83] . Wikidata sitelinks. wikidata.org.
  3. [84] . Wikidata aliases. wikidata.org.

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APA 4ort.xyz Knowledge Graph. (2026). Stephen Jay Gould. Retrieved April 10, 2026, from https://4ort.xyz/entity/stephen-jay-gould
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Rolling log of changes to this entity's Wikidata record. Values shown reflect the current state of each edited property — follow the history link to see the precise diff for any edit.

  1. 12d ago · Epìdosis · 2026-05-19 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    Local thumb
    Occupation evolutionary biologist, paleontologist, writer +5
    Iași central university library id 004583828
    "/* wbeditentity-update:0| */ QuickStatements 3.0 [[:toollabs:qs-dev/batch/31727|batch #31727]]: import P21 and P106 from GND (20)"
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