Race and Intelligence: Science's Last Taboo

[tittenman]

In 2007, Nobel Prize winning US scientist James Watson was quoted referring to research suggesting that black people were less intelligent than other races. His comments caused a storm of controversy, Watson was condemned.

Although he apologised for the offence he caused, his public engagements were cancelled and he left his British speaking tour in disgrace.

Meanwhile, right wing websites hailed him as the new Galileo - a martyr to political correctness that was concealing the fact that there is indeed evidence that shows different races score differently in IQ tests. But are the tests biased? Is race really a scientific category at all?

In this documentary, part of the season Race: Science's Last Taboo, Rageh Omaar sets out to find out the truth, meeting scientists who believe the research supports the view that races can be differentiated as well as those who vehemently oppose this view. By daring to ask the difficult questions, Omaar is able to explode the myths about race and IQ and reveal what he thinks are important lessons for society.

Here is a very interesting documentary aired yesterday on Channel 4 in the UK:

http://www.channel4.com/programmes/race-and-intelligence-sciences-last-taboo/4od#3007068

 

[Spleen]

I caught some of it, was quite interesting.

 

[Friday on my mind]

Such a comparison would only be valid if all others factors were equal.It should be controversial topic as it probably is not possible to be discussed in a way that really enlightens and does not just get used to push some sort of racial agenda.

I think much more important than race are other factors like enviorment and exposure to things and what advantages and opportunities are available.If those things were equal I am convinced the results would be almost identical for all races and peoples.Possibly not identical but the differences would be neglible I bet.

 

[Montrealman]

Such a comparison would only be valid if all others factors were equal.It should be controversial topic as it probably is not possible to be discussed in a way that really enlightens and does not just get used to push some sort of racial agenda.

I think much more important than race are other factors like enviorment and exposure to things and what advantages and opportunities are available.If those things were equal I am convinced the results would be almost identical for all races and peoples.Possibly not identical but the differences would be neglible I bet.

Excellent, couldn't agree more. :thumbsup:

 

[habo9]

There is one race that is smarter than everyone else?













































The Scottish :thumbsup:

 

[Spleen]

^ yup. That's right, you Scots are all very smart and amazing people. You should all stay up in Scotland where you can be cool and awesome together forever...

 

[anomaly]

Stop it before it goes off the deep end!

 

[Facial_King]

I think I'll just watch the documentary/vid and avoid this thread like the plague, as it will almost certainly attract the worst sort of racist creeps... (despite the orig. poster's good intentions for discussion)

 

[Jagger69]

It's a ridiculous hypothesis to say that race is a factor in intelligence. As FOMM pointed out, environmental factors are much more influential than the color of one's skin as far as intellect is concerned.

Some people, regardless of race, are really smart....others are really dumb. It follows no color line that I can see.

 

[TrueTranssexual]

One, if not the most, intelligent and wise person I know of is a black man. I don't think IQs have anything to do with race, but with other factors....economics (ability to afford college to expand knowledge) and education at the right time in life play a big role.

 

[Ace Bandage]

Here is the number one factor that affects intelligence, motivation, and performance: socioeconomic status. As a general rule, if students are poor or on free lunch, they perform significantly below students whose parents are well-off. There are exceptions of course, but this shows up in standardized test results and also when you analyze performance in the classroom.

Students whose parents make more money tend to live in better neighborhoods. Better neighborhoods translate to better schools and funding. Better schools offer better technology and facilities. That leads to hiring better teachers - teachers generally want to work at schools that have more to offer them. As a result, there are more applicants to choose from, giving the administration a few options on who they hire. Why teach at an inner-city school when you go to suburban America and have highly motivated students? Again, there are exceptions, but this is generally true from my experience. It's a sad case in America that you can predict a student's performance in a classroom simply by looking at his parents' paycheck.

 

[Legzman]

In 2007, Nobel Prize winning US scientist James Watson was quoted referring to research suggesting that black people were less intelligent than other races.

:rofl:

where do mexicans fit in?

 

[drf]

There is one race that is smarter than everyone else?













































The Scottish :thumbsup:

Well to find his equal an Irishman is forced to talk to God.

 

[drf]

Here is the number one factor that affects intelligence, motivation, and performance: socioeconomic status. As a general rule, if students are poor or on free lunch, they perform significantly below students whose parents are well-off. There are exceptions of course, but this shows up in standardized test results and also when you analyze performance in the classroom.

Students whose parents make more money tend to live in better neighborhoods. Better neighborhoods translate to better schools and funding. Better schools offer better technology and facilities. That leads to hiring better teachers - teachers generally want to work at schools that have more to offer them. As a result, there are more applicants to choose from, giving the administration a few options on who they hire. Why teach at an inner-city school when you go to suburban America and have highly motivated students? Again, there are exceptions, but this is generally true from my experience. It's a sad case in America that you can predict a student's performance in a classroom simply by looking at his parents' paycheck.

I agree. It's got nothing to do with genetics, it's all environment. Maybe these scientists should leave the lecture room every once in a while and venture out into the real world. Wasn't all this stuff covered in Trading Places?

 

[PlasmaTwa2]

Well to find his equal an Irishman is forced to talk to God.

Are you saying God is a loud drunk who spends all of his time in pubs and pees on the side of the road?

 

[maildude]

I don't have time to read every one of the 200+ responses I expect to this thread, but here's my input:

It's not genetic. It's sociological. Asians and Indians score higher on tests and in school because they are brought up that way. White European kids are pampered too much. Black inner-city kids are conned by their peers that school is "too White." Latino schoolchildren's parents claim that their kids are victims of a language barrier. Wanna see America surge in world power? Stop this blaming bullshit, and raise your kids the RIGHT way...regardless of their ethnicity.

 

[rwill25]

I would check it out, but I'm probably too stupid to understand what's going on.

This is so ridiculous.

 

[rintoe]

No point making these so called set in stone rules to explain things. Someone always comes along and proves you wrong so why bother.

 

[Montrealman]

As a former teacher myself, I have to agree that socioeconomics was indeed well depicted in Trading Place.

Fuckin' classic!

 

[Hot Mega]

All human beings have relatively the same relative base intelligence. It goes up or down from there based primarily on diet and environmental factors such as toxins and sensory exposure.:2 cents:

Darwinians need to understand that we've learned quite a bit since Darwin.