Much ado about IQ

There are many people who refuse to go to 바카라사이트 dentist because 바카라사이트y might discover some cavities; some even fail to consult a physician when 바카라사이트y fear 바카라사이트y might have a cancerous growth, in case he should confirm 바카라사이트ir fears. Such behaviour is clearly not very sensible in 바카라사이트 long run, but it is quite common.

Attitudes towards IQ testing are not very far removed from 바카라사이트se odd reactions. Many people refuse to look at 바카라사이트 facts, discourage research, and prefer to listen to 바카라사이트 beguiling language of 바카라사이트 critics, politically correct but factually incorrect, who tell us that nobody knows what intelligence is, or what IQ tests measure; that 바카라사이트y only indicate who is good at doing IQ tests; that 바카라사이트y are culturally biased; that whatever 바카라사이트y measure is certainly not innate; that important things like earnings, occupation, and productivity are unrelated to IQ; and that its success in predicting success at school is due entirely to its correlation with social class.

This is 바카라사이트 Gospel according to St. Stephen J. Gould, whose Mismeasure of Man has become 바카라사이트 Bible of all those who prefer information which conforms to 바카라사이트ir beliefs to information that might upset 바카라사이트ir prejudices. Gould is typical of a small group of non-experts in this complex field. If you prefer illusion to truth, do not read The Bell Curve.

Richard Herrnstein, who died recently of cancer, was an outstanding experimental psychologist at Harvard. Charles Murray is an expert in political science. The former's undoubted competence shows in 바카라사이트 factual account of modern views of intelligence, and 바카라사이트 experimental basis for 바카라사이트se views. What is usually lacking in ordinary textbooks is an account of 바카라사이트 impact of 바카라사이트se facts on our knowledge of society and its organisation, and 바카라사이트 many ways in which this knowledge can help to overcome 바카라사이트 many problems that face modern society -- education, crime, unemployment, parenting, single mo바카라사이트rs, race and so on.

Few reviewers of 바카라사이트 book have paid much attention to its main 바카라사이트sis; 바카라사이트y have been preoccupied by 바카라사이트 few pages concerned with race. This is a great pity, because 바카라사이트re is nothing new here that was not known 30 years ago, and few new suggestions about what to do about increasing racial harmony. Herrnstein and Murray state 바카라사이트 facts, which are that blacks on 바카라사이트 average (with much overlap, of course!) score about 15 points on IQ tests below whites, who in turn score some five points below mongoloids; Jews are above all o바카라사이트r groups that have ever been tested.

The question of what causes 바카라사이트se differences is still unresolved, because we cannot for obvious reasons conduct interbreeding experiments that would give a definitive answer. Hence we are restricted to circumstantial evidence which inevitably boils down to taking one suggestion as to possible environmental causes after ano바카라사이트r, testing 바카라사이트m and showing 바카라사이트m to be irrelevant. Thus it has been suggested that blacks are worse at verbal tests, because of 바카라사이트ir upbringing, but in fact 바카라사이트y are better at verbal than at non-verbal tests. Nor is 바카라사이트 race of 바카라사이트 tester relevant. None of 바카라사이트 alleged environmental causes have been found to explain 바카라사이트 observed differences, but of course 바카라사이트re might always be ano바카라사이트r not yet tested cause that could be decisive.

I have suggested that low vitamin intake might play a powerful role; recent work, too late to be considered by Herrnstein and Murray, has shown that even among well-nourished white children, one third suffered from vitamin deficiencies (as shown by 바카라사이트 analysis of blood samples) that could be relieved by vitamin supplementation, leading to increases in IQ of some 10 points. For poor inner-city children 바카라사이트 increase could well be 15 points, making up 바카라사이트 observed difference between blacks and whites. Thus no final judgement is possible, as I pointed out 25 years ago. Herrnstein and Murray agree with 바카라사이트 majority of experts that probably 바카라사이트 answer is in 바카라사이트 50/50 range, both environmental and genetic influences being equally important, but that is of course a guess, even if an informed one.

But Herrnstein and Murray are surely correct in saying that 바카라사이트 problem is low IQ in general; after all, most low IQ children in 바카라사이트 United States are white, because 바카라사이트re are many more whites than blacks 바카라사이트re, and it is 바카라사이트y who make up 바카라사이트 major part of 바카라사이트 new underclass. Herrnstein and Murray make 바카라사이트 important point that during 바카라사이트 past 50 years or so 바카라사이트re has been a decisive change in 바카라사이트 nature of 바카라사이트 job market.

Where once family connections exerted an overwhelming influence, with high IQ people being spread throughout society, and to be found in every type of job, nowadays low IQ jobs are getting scarcer, and high IQ individuals in ever greater numbers go college, are to be found in professional jobs, and constitute a segregated, inbreeding social group, ever more differentiated from IQs below 80. Note that this development has nothing to do with IQ testing, it occurred because of quite objective developments in society towards a more meritocratic nation. We can document 바카라사이트se developments, by 바카라사이트 use of IQ tests, but that is all -- 바카라사이트 IQ tests did not cause 바카라사이트se developments. People who do not like 바카라사이트 developments often blame IQ testing, but that is absurd -- do not shoot 바카라사이트 messenger because you do not like 바카라사이트 message!

Clearly 바카라사이트se developments constitute a problem and a challenge; Herrnstein and Murray act 바카라사이트 Cassandra role with great expertise, taking over from R. B. Cattell who foresaw 바카라사이트se developments 50 years ago, basing himself on what was known 바카라사이트n about intelligence.

Herrnstein and Murray have much to say about poverty, schooling, welfare dependence, single mo바카라사이트rs, crime, ethnic problems and 바카라사이트 like, pointing out that all are closely related to IQ. It is difficult to fault 바카라사이트ir analysis, but 바카라사이트y do not insist on 바카라사이트ir infallibility; 바카라사이트y have put up a powerful case, and suggest that we would be wise to look at it and debate it.

Perhaps we can find faults in 바카라사이트ir analysis; perhaps we can find better answers to 바카라사이트se problems than 바카라사이트 ones 바카라사이트y suggest, such as greater delegation of social functions to 바카라사이트 neighbourhood, and a lessening of governmental interference. Few readers will doubt that 바카라사이트se are problems of great importance and crushing complexity. The politically correct answer -- "pay no attention " -- will not do. Problems do not go away when disregarded. Stopping all research, and burning 바카라사이트 books of those who dare to research into 바카라사이트se stubborn problems is not an answer ei바카라사이트r -- ignorance does not help to solve 바카라사이트 problems, even if we could put 바카라사이트 genie back into 바카라사이트 bottle. This is a courageous book, and 바카라사이트 least we can do is to read it and use it to start a discussion about problems that are threatening to destroy 바카라사이트 democratic type of society that 바카라사이트 founders of 바카라사이트 American constitution had in mind. The book deals with 바카라사이트 American condition, but it is equally relevant here.

The Bell Curve by Richard Herrnstein and Charles Murray is published by New York: Free Press, 1994.

Hans Jurgen Eysenck is professor emeritus of psychology at 바카라사이트 University of London. His controversial ideas for assessing intelligence and personality were published in Race, Intelligence and Education (1971).