Oh no!!!! not another racism thread

Macmorris wrote:

Why is it dubious? Do you mean dubious in the sense that the methodology used is flawed or do you mean dubious in the sense that the implications of the results are likely to used to in support of some sinister, racist agenda?

I would say both, Macmorris. As SearrarD pointed out IQ tests are in many ways culturally biased. Some even say they're gender biased as well(loaded towards spatial ability). In any event they don't take into account imagination, the ability to enter altered states of consciousness or perseverance. All of which would make a huge difference to the productivity of a person/race. It's possible that DaVinci might have had quite an average tested IQ and still be a "genius".

While I do agree there seem to be racial differences with regard to IQ, but as you say it can lead to more sinister agendas.

The theory of human evolution in different parts of the world may have some validity. The time frame since we left Africa would allow evolutionary changes to take place. Skin/hair colour for a start. The earliest modern humans in Europe would have been dark Africans. The same goes for Asian populations. That said there's even dissent here as some think that modern humans while coming from Africa may also have interbred with existing earlier hominids(Neandertals, H. Erectus etc). There is some evidence for both theories. Myself I favour some interbreeding, but not enough to effect the modern DNA that much. Human evolution is a muddy subject indeed.

Also as Macmorris pointed out many human populations have tended to stay quite stable genetically over very long periods of time. This would be especially true of island nations such as ourselves. Even in Mainland Europe, distinctive populations remain(Basques spring instantly to mind).

I do agree that there must be something going on when you consider the parlous state of Africa as a continent. It can't just be down to the idea that it's due to it's disastrous history. Europe, as SearrarD pointed out been in turmoil for many thousands of years. War, disease(black death etc), shifting political landscapes etc, yet still contributed an uneven amount to world history. Obviously cultural perspectives come to play here, but the last point can't be denied, especially when you compare Europe and Asia to Africa.

Africa, especially Sub Saharan Africa has contributed little to modern civilisation from an inventive/cultural perspective. You can't lay all of the blame on the slave trade or other European interference. This has been only going on for a few hundred years. Slavery was well established in Africa, long before the Europeans arrived. The Europeans certainly exploited it, but by the same token were the first to outlaw it. In fact it still goes on today in Africa.

The natural resources of Africa are among the biggest in the world, yet these have hardly been touched, even today. Even if you look at such things as farming/domestication of animals, this happened in the near east and Europe long before in Africa. Africa had the horse(zebra), the elephant, buffalo and the wild dog, yet all the examples of those animals that are domesticated today in Africa come from outside the continent(elephants excepted).

Sub Saharan Africa has had very few examples of City states before the Europeans and others arrived. Great Zimbabwe is one of the only examples(12th century, I believe) and it hardly compares to Rome, Athens, Peking, Ur or any other ancient city you care to mention.

Something is different about Sub Saharan Africa. Is it just down to race? No I don't think so. It's more complex than that. The achievements of African-Europeans/Americans in many Scientific fields is testament to that. But if it has got something to do with race, even in a small way, it should be looked at. Something as simple as changing the education methods could work wonders. I'm reminded of a study into Australian aboriginal children that found their spatial ability and visual memory was significantly higher than children of European descent(their visual memory was bloody unbelievable!) which led to changes in the methods of education to good effect.

This would also seem to prove that different populations do have different abilities depending on environment. Just a thought(long one at that )