[highlife]

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So tell me this, how does the "race" gene(s) correlate to the "intelligence" gene(s)?

Given the following:
One race has a higher average IQ than another race.
Race is genetically determined.
Intelligence is genetically determined (in part).

Don't those three facts have to be put together before there is any scientific basis for Watson's conclusion?

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All of those facts would be stipulated by anyone with even a minor knowledge of biology, right? Which of those three do you disagree with?

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You missed the question. I don't disagree with any of the 3 "facts" (discount the apparent lack of very accurate IQ tests).

How do you know genetics is the REASON why a race is testing at a higher IQ than another? That is, unless you can prove that genetics is 100% responsible for intelligence.

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I don't. Merely that if there is any genetic basis whatsoever, then it will have some impact on intelligence.

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This statement is wrong.

Assume:
Race is 100% genetic
Intelligence is 50% genetic
Intelligence is 50% environmental
Avg IQ of Caucasian 100
Avg IQ of African 90

How do you know that the difference in IQ is not achieved entirely by the 50% of intelligence that is environmentally determined? You would need to place babies of African racial genetics in the exact same environment as Caucasian babies and then test their intelligence to prove this. Since Watson makes no reference to IQ data being gathered in this way, and he also provides no proof that IQ is 100% genetic, his entire hypothesis is bunk.

EDIT: poorly worded major point! [img]/images/graemlins/ooo.gif[/img]

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So your point is that there are racial genetic differences, and there is some genetic component to intelligence, but there is no reason to assume that any of these racial genetic differences impact intelligence, right? I guess that makes sense. And thats sort of the point I was making earlier, that there wasnt much time where humans were isolated from each other for something relatively minor selection pressure like intelligence to have made much of a dent.

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Yes, it makes perfect sense. It also goes well beyond this discussion as a requirement to prove any scientific hypothesis loosely similar to the one Watson is posing here.