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Japenese researcher: Africans have low IQ's



The London School of Economics is embroiled in a row over academic freedom after one of its lecturers published a paper alleging that African states were poor and suffered chronic ill-health because their populations were less intelligent than people in richer countries.

Satoshi Kanazawa, an evolutionary psychologist, is now accused of reviving the politics of eugenics by publishing the research which concludes that low IQ levels, rather than poverty and disease, are the reason why.



http://observer.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,,1939891,00.html

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Reply 1
What do others here think?

It is white racists that are oppressing Africa, nothing to do with IQ.
Reply 2
dave777
It is white racists that are oppressing Africa, nothing to do with IQ.
How do you know? What does your research show?
those researchers need their own IQs checking. i'd like to see how westerners would cope if they had to live in Africa, i'm sure they wouldnt manage as well as the Africans themselves. IQ is too subjective anyways, i mean how can you actually measure it? stupid researchers.
Im not a racist but ive always thought that africans had lower IQs but superior muscle and bone structure. I no there are lots of exeptions to this but just as a general rule i thought it was true. I dont think this is a good reason why africa is in poverty. Africa is in poverty because of overpopulation a lack technology to extract resources and unfair trade agreements with western countries!
Reply 5
dave777
What do others here think?

It is white racists that are oppressing Africa, nothing to do with IQ.


"What do others here think?"

Well...to be totally blunt, dave I think it is your level of intelligence that is suspect with all the trash you peddle on TSR.
Reply 6
The issue at hand is really one of academic freedom, should a scientist be allowed to publish research even if a bunch of people on TSR disagree with it because it doesn't fit their political worldview?

In my view, yes.

If it's wrong, it will fail in the face of credible research not political pronouncement.
Reply 7
:yawn:

Correlation is not causation.

Oh, and I agree with Renal.
Renal
The issue at hand is really one of academic freedom, should a scientist be allowed to publish research even if a bunch of people on TSR disagree with it because it doesn't fit their political worldview?

In my view, yes.

i agree, they'll end up running another undoubtably clever talented academic out of town because he goes against modern sensibilities.

History books are full of them.
They'll probably even discover they were right all along in 40-50 years when someone comes up with some amazing way to measure intelligence.
Here is another scientist saying the same thing.

If two scientists say it, does it add more credability?

He praised the work of scholars such as Hans Eysenck and Arthur Jensen who have come to similar conclusions.


There's two more, that makes four.

Of course it all hangs on whether you give any credence to the IQ test.
Reply 10
Renal
The issue at hand is really one of academic freedom, should a scientist be allowed to publish research even if a bunch of people on TSR disagree with it because it doesn't fit their political worldview?

In my view, yes.

If it's wrong, it will fail in the face of credible research not political pronouncement.


The issue at hand is the predilection of dave to initiate posts that always have a racist slant.

http://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/search.php?searchid=304042

This debate has been covered, quite extensively before on D&D except the research had been carried out in the US, saying much the same thing.

Unfortunately, the research in both cases appears to have missed out causal aspects - so one wonders what is the intent behind the research.
Reply 11
HeStoleMyCrayon
those researchers need their own IQs checking. i'd like to see how westerners would cope if they had to live in Africa, i'm sure they wouldnt manage as well as the Africans themselves.


That's entirely and utterly irrelevant and inaccurate. The Boers managed pretty damn well.
Reply 12
yawn
"What do others here think?"

Well...to be totally blunt, dave I think it is your level of intelligence that is suspect with all the trash you peddle on TSR.


It's a credible point to debate yawn.
Reply 13
soup_dragon87
Here is another scientist saying the same thing.

If two scientists say it, does it add more credability?



There's two more, that makes four.

Of course it all hangs on whether you give any credence to the IQ test.


Actually the correlation between race and IQ is nothing new. There are numerous tests and conclusions on it.
Reply 14
The clear problem here is that the research implies that IQ is inate. It is not. IQs vary at different points in your life, and can be boosted by various factors including education, proper nutrition (or the lack thereof), cultural factors, and indeed, being schooled on how to do well at an IQ test.

IQ is a rough and ready test for intellect, and even then is a pretty poor basis from which to draw conclusions about racial superiority.

That isnt to say the conclusion is incorrect necessarily, just that the evidence is less than convincing.
yawn
The issue at hand is the predilection of dave to initiate posts that always have a racist slant.


Er, didn't he disagree with what the article suggested? Personally, I agree with the findings, but believe intelligence not to be the sole factor in Africa's problems; they're hardly blessed with the greatest of climates and surroundings. What's most depressing is the number of people who will dismiss the findings as racist, without giving the matter any unbiased thought, whatsoever.
Black people were the first people on Earth. I have utmost respect for them and their culture.

And the "researcher" should hang himself for making such a claim.
Reply 17
the_chauffeur
Black people were the first people on Earth. I have utmost respect for them and their culture.


Since evolution was a gradual process do you see the problem with this point?

And the "researcher" should hang himself for making such a claim.


Why? If he has the data to back up his assertion then he has it. Are we to censor scientific research due to PC sensibilities?
Reply 18
HeStoleMyCrayon
those researchers need their own IQs checking. i'd like to see how westerners would cope if they had to live in Africa, i'm sure they wouldnt manage as well as the Africans themselves. IQ is too subjective anyways, i mean how can you actually measure it? stupid researchers.


That must be why places like South Africa and Rhodesia were the wealthiest African nations.:rolleyes:

You can measure IQ by using an IQ test.:rolleyes:
Reply 19
cookiejest
Africa is in poverty because of overpopulation a lack technology to extract resources and unfair trade agreements with western countries!


And utter corruption from top to bottom.