Do you believe that James Watson's notion that some "races" are smarter than others is correct?

Question

For those who don't know him, James Watson is an American molecular biologist who is best known for his co-founding on the Helix structure of DNA.

According to James Watson's findings, disparities in intelligence exist among the races, with Eastern Asians being the most intelligent, Whites coming second and Blacks being at the bottom of the intelligence hierarchy. [ More info here: http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article2677098.ece ]

Do you believe that some races are smarter than others? If so (or not) what are your reasons for believing so?

Answer 1

There is some genetic influence to intelligence. Scientists do not believe in wholly genetic or wholly environmental causes. I would suppose 40 to 10% of the iq gap is genetic and 60 to 90% is genetic. However intelligence is not everything. To use intelligence you need the opportunities  and the ability to enjoy it.

Answer 2

no.

as a black female i take slight offence to his remarks, but i also, after reading more of the article, find it hard to believe what he says.

he also said ".. a woman should have the right to abort her unborn child if tests could determine it would be homosexual..."

proving what kind of a person he is. he has a few issues that need to be worked out before he can make decisions and "discoveries" that don't express his own personal views.

Answer 3

yes

Answer 4

No.

Answer 5

in standard IQ tests there is a difference races.... asians and jews top the list followed by non jewish white and at the bottom you find blacks....

this poses interesting questions:

what is intelligence... how do you define it

and

is an IQ test the best way to measure intelligence.

in my opinion there is no difference between races with respect to intelligence and the standard IQ test is not appropriate to gauge a person's intelligence

so to answer your question watson is incorrect

Answer 6

in some asspects yes

but it has more to do with the backround (home and life style) that is assocoated with the race

ex: Africans are not that good at soccer you need to be athletic (which they are ) but also organized and smart

but since they are athletic they do good in running

asians are good learners in school this is becuase they have high expectations in the family

hispanic female majority in Los Angeles have babys or had abortions by the time they are 18 this is because there mum is only 35 and there aunt is 17 ...see what i mean

cause if i was mexican raised by asians in Japan id be just like them  

Answer 7

No i dont agree.

It all depends on the environment in which a child is bought up and many more things that we humans have yet to learn before comming up to a conclusion.

Answer 8

Guess you hadn't heard.James Watson took a DNA test-guess what-he has Black ancestry(16%- a signifigant amount)-stuck his foot in his mouth-guess he doesn't like dark meat-LOL!!!.I never agreed with his racist garbage.

As for I.Q. tests, the disparities are diaappearung.Most Asians generally take math and science courses earlier in school then most Whites, while most Blacks rarely took any. The I.Q. test was heavily biased in science and mathematics. I.Q.s were in direct proportion to the amounts taken in school. This is changing and all is becoming homogenous. Interestingly, I.Q. tests based on Black culture, show a reverse order in I.Q. scores.I am not Black.  

Einstein once took an advanced college mathematic entrance exam-he failed miserably. The test was in French, a language he did not know. Einstein mistakenly thought mathematics was a universal language.The point, you will score low on something  you have no experience with.Most people do not have advanced degrees in molecular biology, advanced astrophysics, 8-dimensional mathematics, rocket science, and many others. I doubt any one could pass tests in those areas on just basic science courses or none at all.  As a youngster, Einstein was slow in learning to talk, many thinking he was mentally challenged. He was truly the abscent minded professor, and often got lost because he could not recall directions.Einstein was also asked ," What it takes to be a genius-he said,"Study a subject for five minutes every day until you know everthing there is to know about it and you will be a genius."-quote may not be exact.

There are also people who are mentally challenged, called  "idiot savants"-I detest the term idiot-who can do enormous calculations in their heads before the average person can punch the 1st key on their calculators. Does that make you  mentally challenged?No.

Bottom  line-NO ONE IS PERFECT OR SUPERIOR. EVERYONE HAS A TALENT IN SOME AREA.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk...

EDIT: To those who do believe in a genetic component-this is like clay. You can do many things to improve it.Using the mind in an enriched environment has been proven to increase synaptic connections and glial cells(Einstein's brain had higher than average amounts of both as well as some actual structural rearrangements).In other words, the density of grey matter for critical thinking can be increased-once thought impossible or limited to those under 7 years of age.There are other unused brain cells that can be trained in other functions-happens frequently in stroke/accident victims-Christopher Reeve, the Superman actor, paralyzed from the neck down when he broke his neck in a horse accident was actually gaining back some movement in his shoulders,fingers, and toes when he died. Practice makes perfect.The more the brain performs a task, the more efficient it becomes, until it is almost automatic.Can the mentally challenged become normal or geniuses? Even i would be hard pressed to say yes, but I would not rule it out.We are all capable of improving.

Answer 9

I'd have to read more - the article linked here doesn't say anything other than his recent babbling, a list of his past drivel, and where I can go to hear more bull.  Sounds like they only listen to this guy because he "discovered the structure of DNA".  It doesn't outline why he's making this accusation.

However, I don't believe that some races are categorically smarter than others, and even if we can find the gene within a decade, I don't think that makes a difference.  Ultimately you have to measure capability, or a lack thereof, by action; not through the use of genetic preclusion (in the case of a lack of ability).  Don't promote someone that's not capable, but don't scan their DNA to determine their mental capacity if they clearly perform well.

This is nothing more than modern day Eugenics...that this sorry excuse for a scientist probably was around to promote the study in 1883, I'm not surprised at his delusions.  Again, in the end, we can't just make bar codes that represent our genetic makeup and drone everyone through life walking through scanners to determine whether they turn right or left or stand still.

And a few of the answers here are a little short-sighted.  Good at soccer = intelligent?  You can't look at those things we determine symptomatic of intelligence without delving further.  Who plays soccer; how much time do they spend on it; is it a matter of working to eat or playing a game that pays no money; etc.

When it comes to IQ testing, I agree with Caitlin.  What is intelligence?  How does the intelligence required for the IQ test translate to actual ability in various activities/occupations/etc.?  Is the IQ test at all biased?  If so, how? If not, how can we be sure?  CEOs don't sit in their office taking IQ tests all day...they execute.

Answer 10

well based on that guys theory id say im a whole h**l of alot smarter than he is because it sounded plain stupid

i can handpick atleast 10 black people that could verbally make that guy seem like he should have never gotten into that line of work due to having a low intelligence level

but then again im guessing this theory was created when racism was at the forefront of american culture

so i wouldnt be surprised if this theory was tainted by human ignorance trying to portray something into the media that isnt true  

Answer 11

h**l no

inteligence has more to do with nurture than nature.