James Watson has said that Blacks are less Intelligent than Whites. Do you Agree?

Question

and does science back up these claims?

http://blogs.usatoday.com/ondeadline/2007/10/dna-scientist-w.html

I happen to disagree.

Answer 1

The problem with discussing the differences between races is that someone is always scared that another Hitler will rise up and declare a "Master Race".

According to very credible sources (these are very boring, scientific studies) such as the book, "The Bell Curve", there is indeed a significant gap between the measured intelligence of blacks and whites. They cite a 15 point gap. However, other studies have shown a 7-10 point gap.

Black/white IQ gap in major IQ tests (1991) (1)

Ravens Std Progressive Matrices 7 points
Kaufman Assessment Battery for Children 7
Stanford-Binet IV (two separate studies) 10

Obviously, there are many people who think the method of measuring intelligence is flawed, but even student's grades all around the country show that whites typically outperform blacks and Hispanics by a large margin.

One reason whites may not want to be too proud of this statistic is that Asians outperform them!

There is nothing racist in citing scientific data. We have to accept that each race is practically the same in intelligence. Let's say there is a 6% difference. Considering that there are millions of blacks who are smarter than their white counterparts, this difference seems to be less important than some people would make it.

As I've said, some people say the measured difference is not too relevant, and cite that economic factors and learning opportunities account for most of the gap between black and white scholastic performance. That may be true. Check the second link below.

Everyone can say another person's study is somehow biased, but the Bell Curve was an extremely, objective, dry scientific study. It remains to be seen if these gaps get smaller as economic levels between blacks and whites become more similar.

Addendum: I have seen other responses which trivialize the difference between races. It is not a simple matter of skin color. Science has proven time and time again there are significant differences between the races: physical, physiological, mental, etc. Why are we afraid to discuss these? As I've said, it's because we fear someone will label one group as Superior, and another as Inferior. Since the differences are relatively minor, and there are literally hundreds of millions of people of all races who are either smarter or dumber than the average for their race, no one should be able to state with authority that one race is mentally superior to another, if there are millions upon millions of "exceptions".

Answer 2

I've seen a lot of studies which seemed to imply blacks were statisticly significantly stupider than white people by a few points. However, I don't really think an average IQ of 2 points lower is very important or relevant (other than that it can be cited for objective proof some points of racist are in fact correct).

Black people give off the perception of being stupider than whites due to the fact they are raised in an underclass culture. It's completelly cultural. Some people will deny that it's true and that blacks are completely equal, but that has been what I've consistently observed.

Africa as a country has been plagued by lots of wars, since the area is super tribal and always has been, but the primary cause of all the death and destruction in africa at this point in time comes from all the first world intervention there, not blacks "being stupid."

This guy James Watson is "a respected scientist" so when he says these things it's conferred an air of authority and treatd like it matters, but it's nothing knew.

So I'm kinda torn on his statements. I can see where hes coming from and it makes sense, but I don't agree with the way he chose to convey or construe the fact.

Answer 3

Here's a quote from Watson's book:

"There is no firm reason to anticipate that the intellectual capacities of peoples geographically separated in their evolution should prove to have evolved identically. Our wanting to reserve equal powers of reason as some universal heritage of humanity will not be enough to make it so."

Evolutionary science DOES back the idea that different isolated populations will evolve differently. There are studies showing blacks are 15 IQ points lower than whites. I don't think the difference is that large, but it is discernaible.

Note that Watson is not trying to justify discimination, a point lost on everyone bashing Watson for being politically incorrect. For People to call Watson stupid is absurd.

Answer 4

To respond to a question on a website where what ever you write is pretty much set in digital stone, with no way to retract a comment, is risky and bold - especially this day and age, and double that risk if you are young and aspiring. If you don't believe this, try and erase any of your comments yourself, and you will find it impossible. Even if you close your email account with Yahoo, they remain. However even considering this I will answer this question as truthfully as I can possibly under the circumstances.

This is a very controversial issue and everyone has an opinion on it despite what they may say. Personally, I feel sorry for those blacks, at this moment, who struggle against the odds and presentiments of just about every other race on the planet - even their own - to better themselves spiritually, physically and intellectually.

I think ignorant lazy redneck white trash with truly low IQs will take Watson's comment to mean that they are simply more intelligent based on their skin color or what have you than the poor soul I was referring to above.

I think Watson was speaking in generalities and that there is a spectrum of intelligence for all races and they all do overlap. It is not as if there is such a disparity in intelligence among the races that one spectrum for one race is completely off the chart than that of another. I have known quite a few blacks that I feel or on an even keel or much more intelligent than I am. It is a sad and an ultra competitive world when we have to demoralize an entire race, who by the way have plenty of achievements, especially in music and athleticism, based on a handful of IQ points. No one truly understands why we are here in the first place or what this universe means or it there is even a purpose to many of our sordid lives. Maybe the purpose is to develop compassion and have love for both those that are weaker and stronger.

Having said all of this however, my emotions due fluctuate just like everyone else's. I work with a lot of blacks and other races (I am tired of thinking of them as minorities bc we are increasingly living in a global community with actual whites being the minorities), and I will attest to a truth relating to definite racial differences and similarities when comparing all races/cultures. I think the blacks that are assimilating and are probably in their race's top half of the IQ chart, provided they have a good will or soul or what have you, have a definite positive impact to make on this earth. But what is my opinion anyway. I think all blacks with a good soul, regardless of intelligence, have a gift for the earth just for their presence.

On the other hand, I do believe in the betterment of mankind, physically, spiritually, and intellectually and to do that all race and their members need not:

-breed and breed and breed stupidity, poverty, and ignorance.
-breed and breed and breed physical inferiorities.
-laziness and slothfulness should definitely be frowned upon
-education should be emphasized
-there should always remain a separation of church and state
-education in science needs to increase and be more rewarded

In this age of decreasing natural resources and global-warming, reproduction should not be an innate right but something that you earn through and of the following:

-wealth
-education
-intelligence
-physical features (height, weight, hair and eye color etc.)
-creativity
-ambition
-athletic ability
-talent

Everyone would be placed on a point system and allowed to have as many children as points they score in each category. Then our race - the human race - might improve.

Answer 5

Looking at pure statistics and personal life experience, I would have to agree.

It's also crazy how people are calling to prosecute him over this. Political correctness is truly becoming insane.

"This may be true in the general sense, however, I think people should not be judged through the collectivist lens of grouping people into categories, rather they should be judged on their individual merits.

You could also say that most Chinese are short and therefore none of them should ever bother to be looked at as serious NBA potential, yet look at Yao Ming?

I know it is next to impossible for most people to be colorblind to race when judging someone on an individual level, but one hallmark of a civilized society is that people are judged based upon merit rather than prejudice. A lot of people would be surprised to know that the group of high schoolers in the United States with the highest GPA happen to be African immigrants (sorry I can't dig up sources to this). Americans of African descent, unfortunately have the lowest GPA scores of any group. Of course, the best and the brightest from around the world still continue to seek opportunity in America which is probably one reason for the disparities in GPA, but this is all the more reason people should not be so quick to judge a book by its cover."
-Digg.com

Answer 6

We aren't culturally mature enough to discuss race differences openly yet. It's too politically charged. Intellectuals will have to whisper these forbidden truths to each other for a few years more. The scientific facts are not an excuse to hurt anyone but an opportunity to address differences with a view to eliminating them or at least getting around them. We are all brothers and sisters with different talents. It's part of the naieve orthodoxy of political correctness to assume that we are all the same even though we've evolved in different environments.

Answer 7

This is a no brainer. Of course they are less intelligent. The only fools who say otherwise are people with "generalities" in their dialogue like "your a bigot" "your a racist" blah blah blah. It is the political correctness censorship that clogs minds and makes people sheeple. You should always look at both sides of the argument. Not base your decisions on emotion (which most people do). Africa is a bastion of rape, theft and murder with the exception of white dominated areas, such as parts of South Africa. It isn't any better here in the U.S. This topic does need to be explored more because we are dumbing down our society here in America. For those of you that hate me, how else can you explain that in this day and age of technology, blacks still dwell in a waistland of Africa? Sure you can argue that not all blacks are stupid but as a collective bargain they are a black hole. In spite of all this money that is being thrown at these people, they still cannot pull themselves out from the clutches of poverty (Here and everywhere else in the world) If you use reasoning, Mr. Watson is correct! If your litmus test is political correctness than he gets an F and so do I.

Answer 8

Spoken like a true white man with no common sense! Born of a businessman's family & monetary status, every opportunity was afforded to him for a quality education. His education should have taught him the untruth in his statement. In the US the reason we feel that way is because of our education system & our general attitude about our black population. If they take advantage of their education opportunities, they are equal, yes, I said equal, to whites in the smarts department. When are we going to get over our superiority attitude towards other people?

Answer 9

Scientist,as we all should know some times make conclusions not on fact but theory,what I'm trying to say is,put a paper bag over this mans head and he'll need to read instructions to take it off !

Answer 10

NO, but I believe the more emphasis put on learning when a person is a child the smarter they will be, whether black white or anything else. Skin color has nothing to do with it at all.