Black people 'less intelligent' scientist claims

[Flint]

He didn't present any data, or there wasn't any data presented in the article?

Or, the third option, that no data is necessary to support this statement (the product of logical thinking):

“there is no firm reason to anticipate that the intellectual capacities of peoples geographically separated in their evolution should prove to have evolved identically. Our wanting to reserve equal powers of reason as some universal heritage of humanity will not be enough to make it so”.

It isn't what we're supposed to say, but, what about it is wrong? What is logically wrong with what he said?

[ZenGum]

Originally Posted by Flint

SNIP
Or, the third option, that no data is necessary to support this statement (the product of logical thinking):

QUOTE:
“there is no firm reason to anticipate that the intellectual capacities of peoples geographically separated in their evolution should prove to have evolved identically. Our wanting to reserve equal powers of reason as some universal heritage of humanity will not be enough to make it so”.

It isn't what we're supposed to say, but, what about it is wrong? What is logically wrong with what he said?

The quote given here is plausible, BUT contains nothing to suggest that Europeans would be genetically smarter than Africans. It could well turn out that Africans have more "smart genes" that Europeans, but the present disadvantage in education is what is causing their alleged current under-performance.

Intelligence (indeed, most personality traits) is almost certainly due to a combination of genetics and environment. Unless we can control for environment, there is no way an intelligence test can shed light on the distribution of "smart" genes.

As for the alleged under-performance by Africans, if there are any tests which show this, I suspect that the tests test for skills of interest to mainstream Eurocentric standards (the synonyms section in particular). I have seen "ghetto" IQ tests, which are similar to regular IQ tests but which use language and situations relevant to urban America. I'd come out as a moron on those tests. I'd like to see Watson take them.

Ultimately, the question of racial genetic intelligence differences is an empirical issue. Once the research has been done, then we can see. Watson claims (in the main article linked in first post) that "... genes responsible for creating differences in human intelligence could be found within a decade".
Go find said genes, FIRST, professor. Then see how they are distributed. Then figure out how important they are relative to environment. THEN you can make announcements like this, if it turns out to be true. Until then, don't shoot your mouth off with insulting comments that are likely to be used by evil bastards to justify all sorts of crimes against humanity.

[lookout123]

Naperville, one of the most affluent cities in the state of Illinois. Our school district is chronically in the top five of the whole nation for years in nationally averages, fun fact: it was #1 in the world in Math and Science for grade schoolers; ahead of China.

STFU. the fact that you grew/are growing up in naperville certainly doesn't serve as evidence that you are more intelligent anyone else. it only serves to say that your parents liked the community and chose to live there. grade school kids' test scores in math say nothing whatsoever about intelligence. somewhere along the way you have forgotten that intelligence and education aren't the same thing.

[Cicero]

Ok. I'll bite. Not that I'm not tired of the ridiculous compulsion to....

snippy~He said he hoped that everyone was equal, but countered that “people who have to deal with black employees find this not true".~snippy

"Hope" has no place in scientific inquiry. And neither does anecdotes about "dealing with black employees".


I'm no scientist, but the last time I looked you need data to support any type of logical thinking.


New equation/New science? x+ arian nation evil scientist= racial predictions of inferiors? There ya go. "Logic." "Science." "Hitler".

Maybe we can find cures for horrible diseases through DNA research instead of trying to figure out whether black people are stupid or not. Seems like it wouldn't be the main priority? But, like I said, I'm no "scientist".

[Flint]

Originally Posted by Flint

“there is no firm reason to anticipate that the intellectual capacities of peoples geographically separated in their evolution should prove to have evolved identically. Our wanting to reserve equal powers of reason as some universal heritage of humanity will not be enough to make it so”.

Originally Posted by ZenGum

The quote given here is plausible, BUT contains nothing to suggest that Europeans would be genetically smarter than Africans. It could well turn out that Africans have more "smart genes" that Europeans...

Good point. The only part of this I took an interest in was the pervasive fallacy that people are somehow "equal" - in a literal sense. People should be regarded as equal so far as concerns their opportunity to live up to whatever potential they have. But, each individual person certainly has vastly different potential.

And it doesn't seem far-fetched to me that evolution would act on geographically distinct groups, endowing them with different abilities specific to the environmental stresses they experience. What he should have said is that different racial groups might be "differently" intelligent.

Of course, he is trying to create hype, to promote his new book. And, hey, it worked!