"ALL CAPS IN DEFENSE OF LIBERTY IS NO VICE."

Friday, November 02, 2007

That unmentionable African IQ again

Anything that is almost universally regarded as being unmentionable has a high probability of being true and I reproduce below just a few tiny excerpts from the introduction to a large article in Gene Expression that gives you the actual scientific evidence on African IQ. Evidence is of course exactly what is usually missing from discussions of African IQ. But the evidence is there in great volume, it has been there for decades and it includes consideration of all the usual objections to it. Don't read the article if reality threatens you.

The public intellectual forum is being manipulated with intimidation and coercion and you are being lied to. The media is not doing its job, and the scientific community is not playing its proper public role as a beacon of dispassionate truth-seeking, as a conduit of knowledge to the public, or in fostering an open and fair intellectual climate. Both are abusing their power and authority to do the opposite of their honor bound social and intellectual roles; facts are being distorted in service of values.

It's difficult to name many more important living figures in 20th century biology than James Watson. He ushered in the current age of molecular biology with his achievements in 1953, he built up one of the world's greatest biological research facilities from damn near scratch, and he is a former head of the Human Genome Project. Given such an august curriculum vitae, you would think that this man perhaps understands just a few things about genetics. But given only the condescending media coverage, you'd think this eminent geneticist was somehow "out of his depth" on this one.

There's no point in rehashing the rapid sequence of events in detail: several of Watson's sold-out speaking engagements were cancelled, many critical articles appeared in the British press, trailed by the American press a few days later, hundreds of blogs were fuming with negative commentary, including ones by the editors of Scientific American and Wired Magazine, a number of associations issued statements condemning his words, and soon he was suspended from his chancellorship at Cold Spring Harbor. Watson cancelled his already ruined book tour and flew home to tend to the destruction. It was too late; the eminent biologist retired in disgrace on Oct. 26th.

One thing, though, was conspicuously missing from this whole irritating denouement: any semblance of factual refutation. There is good reason for this: everything Watson got in trouble for saying was entirely correct!

James Watson is one of the most important living figures in American science. The claim in his new book Avoid Boring People, that basic evolutionary logic predicts we should expect intelligence differences between racial groups is, if anything, an uncomplicated truth. Watson's claim in his recent interview with Charlotte Hunt-Grubbe that intelligence testing shows lower scores in Africa than Europe is likewise, entirely supported by the scientific literature. As is Dr. Watson's statement that there are many talented people of African descent, which clarifies he is speaking of different average scores, not that said populations are homogenous.


(For more postings from me, see TONGUE-TIED, EDUCATION WATCH INTERNATIONAL, GREENIE WATCH, POLITICAL CORRECTNESS WATCH, FOOD & HEALTH SKEPTIC, GUN WATCH, SOCIALIZED MEDICINE, AUSTRALIAN POLITICS, DISSECTING LEFTISM, IMMIGRATION WATCH INTERNATIONAL and EYE ON BRITAIN. My Home Pages are here or here or here. Email me (John Ray) here.)

2 comments:

savingsancho said...

Interesting points. You stress Dr. Watson achieved that which no one else had. You have emphasized his expertise should be considered unparalleled. You add his work logically shows the "uncomplicated truth": some Racial Groups are more intelligent than others.

Dr. Watson's statement (echoed in your post) about African's states we mistakenly rely on the assumption "their intelligence is the same as ours - whereas all the testing says not really”."

What we are speaking of is, of course, the ability for an individual to be able to comprehend, retain and reproduce knowledge in a functional manner. If an intelligence is deemed less than normal, the implication is the importance place on an Intelligence Quotient.

There is no kind of testing is universal in all settings, cultures or education levels. Dr. Boeree* has produce very clear complications involved with testing for intelligence. Broad statements like those illustrated in this post discount abilities that are clearly measured by a standard that is destined to discount them.

Dr. Watson's own statement proves my assertion. Gene Expression** quotes Dr. Watson stating it's not impossible that "intellectual capacities of peoples geographically separated in their evolution... evolved identically." Yes, it is extremely logical and correct to say this but short-sighted by missing the point: Not evolving identically does not mean the intelligence does not exist.

In fact the opposite appears to be true. Dr. Watson, being a pioneer in genetic research, has included his own DNA for study. His DNA contains 16% African DNA***.

If racial differences in intelligence did exist, such a percentage would have changed his ability to be exactly what he is: An intelligent person who achieved what no one else had, an unparalleled expert, and a logical researcher.

Perhaps Dr. Watson is correct and the 16% affected him in such a way his logic did not extend to his conclusion.

*http://webspace.ship.edu/cgboer/intelligence.html
**http://www.gnxp.com/blog/2007/10/james-watson-tells-inconvenient-truth_296.php
***http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/science/article3022190.ece

Moonglade said...

There is nothing about the fact that Watson's "16% African DNA" that is in any way prohibitive of what he has accomplished.

"Not evolving identically does not mean the intelligence does not exist."

Now THIS statement misses the point. Whether "intelligence exists" in Africa does not address the sociological, economic and intellectual phenomenon that Dr. Watson believes is largely explained by innate differences in cognitive ability. Nations are made of many people and how abilities are distributed among different peoples is likely to be reflected in what those nations become.

Try again egalitarian dreamer.