<p>Hey guys. This thread really has nothing to do with MIT but I've been thinking about some some stuff and since this forum probably attracts a lot of people with a scientific bent, I thought I'd ask you guys to weigh in.</p>
<p>Question 1: What do you think about there being innate differences in intelligence between races? We all know there are differences in height, skin color, physical features, and looking at the nba and nfl, in athletic ability. Isn't it possible these differences can extend to mental abilities too? When I brought this up in biology my teacher said it's a "no fly zone" in academia.</p>
<p>Question 2: Same as the above except between genders. Studies show that the IQs of men are more spread out while those of women are more grouped around the average. , and this is seemingly borne out by the fact that men make up most of the top scientists but also the vast majority of the inmate population. re there any other explanations?</p>
<p>I've been on CC long enough that I should know better than to participate in something like this. Nonetheless, let me offer my perspective as a working scientist.</p>
<p>First, "race" is not a meaningful genetic concept. Humans as a species descend from a very small, very recent founder population, so overall we are extremely genetically homogeneous. And self-described concepts of race do not mesh with genetic observations about the diversity of populations -- there's more genetic variation between members of a given race than there is between the average of any two groups. (The "between group" variation is quite a bit larger than the "within group" variation.)</p>
<p>I find it unlikely that there is significant variation between ethnic groups in terms of intelligence, as there is no selective reason one group of humans would need to be more intelligent than another.</p>
<p>I find it much more likely that differences observed between ethnic groups and between men and women are caused by social conditions: that smart people of different groups are rewarded differently for pursuing education, that different groups have differential access to high-level resources, that intelligence tests have historically been observed to be biased.</p>
<p>It's not that researchers aren't investigating topics like this. It's that the evidence does not come down on the side of those who believe intelligence is hard-wired in the genome and that certain groups have an automatic advantage over others.</p>
<p>man..... go talk to the head of perimeter institute in waterloo... Dr. Tarok in Perimeter institute... he theorizes that the next smartest person on earth shall come from south africa... i dont think race makes a difference... its what genetically makes you... not race... if both of your parents are from a diff background but both have a common work ethic that makes them work hard, then obviously ull get it if ur raised and hone that skill... this concept of race is kinda weird... its people who tend to focus and neglect influential factors during their time of thinking that tend to be "smarter".. John Nash, works out math problems by being by himself in his own thoughts/world... yes u can say schizophrenia aided in his ability... but he was a good concentrator nonetheless...</p>