Dr. Watson (of DNA discovery fame) is out of a job.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7052416.stm

Now, intelligence is measured in a scientific and repeatable way with standardized tests. Results give the IQ index.

It is therefore very easy to check the statements of the distinguished gentleman, in a controlled and scientific way.

Either he is proved wrong, either he is proved right.

If he is proved wrong, he'll owe an apology to a lot of people.

If he is proved right, a lot of people will owe him an apology.


I would like to add as a personal note that whatever the facts concerning any population group, these facts do not preclude that any individual of that group can be completely outside the standard parameters of the group, and that by definition there are individuals that are NOT "average".

But facts are facts. And a crooked spade is a crooked spade, not "a spade with a linearity challenge"...

This won't be the first time a genius and famous thinker will be accused of racism when investigating intelligence in the human species. Remember Shockley? If not, read this article (you'll have to go the "editor's note" at the end of the last page).

http://www.time.com/time/time100/scientist/profile/shockley.html

In the era of political correctness, regardless of the issue, the facts matter less than who will be offended. I made the comment to wife last night that Dr. Watson's name and reputation will now be systematically destroyed and dismantled without any thought to whether there was any basis for his opinion or not. So the focus is not on the merits or demerits of his statement but rather the mere fact of the statement itself. Very shallow.

The age of reason and enlightenment is passed! It started dieing out in the late 60's and is now dead. We are now in the age of "wishful thinking".

Information, no matter how correct or important,is not considered appropriate to view unless it first is passed through the "Wishful thinking" political correctness test. Any one caught with any inappropriate data will be punished and silenced. Unfortunately for the West this total inability to operate on Valid data is going to make it impossible for us to act rationally. The consequence is going to be so frightening that none of the "wishful thinkers" are willing to face the consequences.

Zimbabwe is a perfect example of what happens to a beautiful people and nation when they fall prey to the politics of wishful thinkers. The thing that is saddest about this is that under the rule of the Wishful Thinkers in 50 years the US will politically and economically look a lot more like Mexico and Zimbabwe than it did to the US that we have grown up in.

In the mean time let us hope we can live well because we have traveled down this path too far and there is no hope of turning the ship around now.

In as large a world as ours, why can it not be that some members of the human race develop at a different pace than others? Black people live quite often in tropical climates where sheer heat and humidity tend to discourage activity -to say nothing of diseases like malaria and various other fevers. I am always uncomfortable with comparisons of human beings by different races - because I have met too many in any race group who don't fit the accustomed classification. The Bushmen of the Kalahari or the pygmies of the Congo live in environments where I, a white man, wouldn't survive 3 days. Africa is backward today and nowheres near the development of whites? Granted. The time span of history says that it's a mere blink of the eye so far as Africa's history has come thus far. Something more is going to come and comparisons of intelligence may be premature (somewhat like calling a horserace as final after the first turn has been rounded)

My question is, why is it considered “politically correct†to say a particular race is very intelligent, yet not when you say another group is less intelligent. Example Asian kids in school are always considered to be very intelligent, and the folks from India make some of the best scientist in the technology, and medical field, yet it is not politically correct to say another group is less intelligent, than the one considered to be more intelligent? The common sense tells you if one is the smartest, then others must be not as smart. Did anyone consider the fact that children born in countries like most of Africa, are denied a good balanced diet during their formidable years while their brains are developing, may have some impact on their intelligence?



Come on, folks, get a life and quit lying to yourself! “ POLITICAL CORRECTNESS “ will be, if hasn’t already been, the down fall of this nation, IMO! The fact that you might not like something is not proof that it isn't true! Proper diet has far more to do with a large group's intelligence, than race!

Excellent nutrition and hygiene to reduce the occurrences of ill health,

and excellent medical care when ill health takes hold, undeniably are very

strong underpinnnings of the best "environment" for intellect. EQUALLY, one

must have opportunity to exercise one's mind. If you have no chance to study

what has already been learned or even just conceptualized, and you have no

time to carry out your own research and experiments in what ever has caught

your interest, you can not possibly develop higher intellect.

quote:

Originally posted by BigFiveJack:
Excellent nutrition and hygiene to reduce the occurrences of ill health,

and excellent medical care when ill health takes hold, undeniably are very

strong underpinnnings of the best "environment" for intellect. EQUALLY, one

must have opportunity to exercise one's mind. If you have no chance to study

what has already been learned or even just conceptualized, and you have no

time to carry out your own research and experiments in what ever has caught

your interest, you can not possibly develop higher intellect.

Absolutely true, but you are confusing intellect, with ignorance! The poor diet, has a physical effect on the brain's ability to develop to it's highest potential, but the lack "SCHOOLING" fosters a result called IGNORANCE, which has nothing to do with a lack of intelligence! There are some very intelligent people who can neither read, nor write. That doesn't mean they are not intelligent, only that they are IGNORANT!