Why genetic IQ differences between 'races' are unlikely | Hacker News Reader

Why genetic IQ differences between 'races' are unlikely

theguardian.com

This article doesn’t seem to offer any evidence of anything. It seems to concede there are population level IQ differences between races. Just argues that this is unlikely to be due to genetics. Though concedes genetics causes IQ variation within any population. Thus she thinks within a population it can be genetic. Between populations it’s environmental. I’m not sure this makes sense to be but in any case we should work out why and what we can do about it.

IMO low IQ is a disability. Being born with the gift of a good brain capable of developing a high IQ is very under appreciated, surprisingly by many in this community. It should be understood better and we should have more sympathy for it. If you’re below 90 you’ll likely have a really rough go of life.

>If you’re below 90 you’ll likely have a rough life.

Not according to the author...

“IQ scores are a measure of a person’s intellectual ability, not the limit of their intellectual potential.”

If the author is right, a mentally disabled person with a IQ of 80 can be a Nobel prize winning physicist, if they only applied themselves.

Which is why I think this author is wrong on all counts.

As you said, he seems to want it both ways...first to say there is no IQ difference, they saying all differences stem from environmental variables which we know to affect races disproportionately.

OP in your mind what is the difference between two people of different races? Do you imagine the only differences are the ones we see?

The author states that intelligence is an unqualified benefit--more is always better--and uses that assertion to argue against populations evolving in differing areas having different IQ distributions. That's far from obvious. Rather, those who are far outliers on this measure often seem to have other issues, quite possibly as a concomitant result.

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