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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.
(Score: 5, Insightful) by Rosco P. Coltrane on Thursday November 02 2017, @06:24PM (4 children)
Famously, IQ is a measure of how well someone can answer IQ test questions. Meaning it doesn't measure raw intelligence, but the ability of the person who takes the IQ test to understand what answers the designer of the IQ test expects.
Well, guess what: successful people learn to bullshit their way through school. It doesn't matter if you're smart, what matters is getting the test right. Same thing as the IQ test.
Bullshiting and answering what the other party wants to hear is the singlemost important lesson one learns from the education system. That lesson served me well during my military service, and to rise through the ranks of my inept company by being mildly efficient but highly pleasing to my superiors. Guess who's getting the fat paychecks?
So I posit that the IQ test measures how well someone has learned that vital skill at school, and how much they'll earn with unimpressive performances but big social engineering abilities.
By my premises, the results of the study seem quite fitting.
(Score: 5, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday November 02 2017, @07:33PM (3 children)
I scored 157 when I was teen, and where did that get me, I'm now a lousy AC on some no-name website that barely stays in business.
(Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday November 02 2017, @07:47PM
It's not in business, it's on charity.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday November 02 2017, @08:27PM
Yeah. Scored 150 and had the same net outcome. IQ must be predictive after all.... :-)
(Score: 2) by Rivenaleem on Friday November 03 2017, @01:15PM
At least you are smart enough to post as AC though.