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posted by cmn32480 on Thursday November 02 2017, @05:57PM   Printer-friendly
from the maybe-they-only-surveyed-the-nimnobs dept.

Why can we talk about PISA results, comparing the performance of students in school, but we are not allowed to talk about differences in IQ? Bring this subject up, and you are immediately accused of racism. And yet. And yet, if there are substantial differences in intellectual capability, might this not explain some of the world's problems?

An update of a massive "study of studies" is underway; this article summarizes the work to date, and provides links to the work in progress. A quick summary of the answers to the questions no one dares ask:

  • Eastern Asia (Japan, China): IQ around 105
  • Europe/North America: IQ around 98
  • Middle East: IQ around 85
  • Africa: IQ around 70

In the first instance, it doesn't even matter why there are differences. They may be genetic, or disease related, or nutrition related, or something else. If these differences are real (and the evidence is pretty strong that they are), then we need to deal with them. Imagine if the low IQs in Africa turn out to be fixable - what would the impact be, if we could raise the IQ of an entire continent by 30 points?!

Sticking our collective heads in the sand, because the topic is not PC, is not going to solve any problems.


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  • (Score: 2) by srobert on Thursday November 02 2017, @10:36PM (3 children)

    by srobert (4803) on Thursday November 02 2017, @10:36PM (#591391)

    For MENSA you don't really have to pay for a test if you have verifiable the results of one that you took in school, or the military, or some such. I paid for the test because the fee was small, and I didn't have easy access to the results of tests I'd taken previously at the time.
    What was interesting to me was there was one other applicant there with me. In discussion following the exam, he told me there was no doubt in his mind that he had passed the test. I responded by expressing doubt about my own score. I got in. He did not. I've often observed that people lacking in intelligence express more confidence in their intelligence than people who possess it.

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  • (Score: 2) by bzipitidoo on Friday November 03 2017, @03:20AM (2 children)

    by bzipitidoo (4388) on Friday November 03 2017, @03:20AM (#591512) Journal

    > people lacking in intelligence express more confidence in their intelligence than people who possess it.

    Many have observed this phenomenon.

    A subset of this group are the bullshit artists. They're the kind of cunning fools who are a bit smarter but don't appreciate that bullshit doesn't make trains run on time, and have put nearly all of their efforts into appearances rather than substance. They treat facts with contempt. They fool themselves too. They lust for leadership positions, not because they want to do a good job though they think they're great leaders, but because they think "it's good to be the king", think such a position has greater security, and they want to enjoy lording it over people, maybe commit a bit of sexual harassment with impunity, scare and bully their underlings, indulge their envy in telling those who they feel are smarter than them and whom they may depend upon that they are actually morons, and generally be total assholes. If they sucker others into letting them into the captain's chair, they refuse to admit they haven't a clue, won't listen to any advice, and soon make epically stupid decisions and, if the position is of any importance, cause spectacular disasters.

    Curiously, the eastern US has more of a bullshit artist culture than the rest of the country. Easterners seem more bent on putting on a good appearance and selling themselves. They'll tell you they have all the answers. Just come to them if you have any questions. Trump is a product of that culture. I'm sure the only reason the US government hasn't yet made a truly colossal mistake under Trump are all the others in the government who are trying to keep Trump distracted with minutia. That many of them are themselves bullshit artists is worrisome.

    • (Score: 2) by srobert on Friday November 03 2017, @03:57AM (1 child)

      by srobert (4803) on Friday November 03 2017, @03:57AM (#591526)

      It's amusing that it was obvious you were talking about Trump early in the 1st paragraph. I'm one of those who actually read "The Art of the Deal" back in the 80's, and I remember thinking then that "I hope America isn't stupid enough to ever put this bullshit artist into the White House".

      • (Score: 2) by bzipitidoo on Friday November 03 2017, @02:17PM

        by bzipitidoo (4388) on Friday November 03 2017, @02:17PM (#591673) Journal

        I started out thinking of some managers and bosses I've known in the IT field. Yep, the projects they lead ended in total train wrecks, contract canceled and everyone terminated in disgrace. But Trump is currently the most prominent bullshit artist in the world, and it's pretty hard to talk about those kind of people and not mention him and his team, present and past.