James Watson, DNA Decoder, on Race and Intelligence

I believe the comment regarding physical differences, talent and disease succeptability between races does support the theory that intelligence could be a factor of race on the average. You can find brilliance and stupidity within any race of people. But on the average it does appear that some races are smarter than others, while other races appear to be more artistic or athletic. If you set aside emotion and think it through, there may be something to it, on the average....

It is easy for an ignorant and arrogant person to fall down a path were they think they can define intelligence. I wonder what Watson defines as "intelligence." One can use genetics, lumps on a head, birth order, etc. to limit someones potential. I would imagine Africa is a tough place were its hard to attend school for a long time. I guarantee if one moves people of Africa to a new environment they perform as well as anyone. I wouldn't use the USA to gauge this because of the strong history of segregation and racism. Dark skinned people still are not treated as equals by majority of the population. A quick look at the social and economic structure of city should confirm this.

Firstly, this thread is replete with evidence of the isolated nature of life as an American. You can't judge the progress of an entire race simply by looking at an biased empirical evidence from one neighborhood or country. Secondly, material gain and industrial progress is not the only yardstick of intelligence. In some ways these achievements are indicative of a lack of long term intelligence IMO.
Thirdly, Watson is not an anthropologist, sociologist, ethnologist, or cultural anthropologist. He'd be better served leaving such a comprehensive analysis to someone more qualified.

Well, it just goes to show you intelligence can always be defined from a certain vantage point, and not necessarily realized that it can also be turned around from the other side as well. People gotta remember there is no one absolute way for one way or the other - one time something will be up, the next it'll be down.

It's ludicrous to believe that during some 100,000 years of separate evolution the intellect of different races, living scattered across the globe, has developed either absolute identically or not at all.

It depends on the definition of "reason" and intelligence.. if one said intelligence means enslaving and killing others, and stockpiling weapons of mass destruction, destroying the environment, and using high technology to spy on ordinary people, then I don't think Africans will be proud to claim this kind of evolution.. on the other hand, if intelligence and means the knowledge like "It takes a village to raise a child" then ask pres. Clinton, who once said that he has learned this wisdom from his travel in Africa.

"...there are many people of colour who are very talented, but don't promote them when they haven't succeeded at the lower level...." Another ruse by an old white man trying to reserve the best jobs for white men (and their women, via the convenience of affirmative action). How many geniuses have you run into in a work setting? How much intellect does it take really to be a banker? Or an accountant? Or a manager? By his reasoning, the Asians are the most intelligent. They should then displace all white men running companies, should they not? There were plenty of men like this old man at the start of the 20th Century. At that time they were proclaiming the physical superiority of whites over blacks.

There is No Doubt the man knows what he is talking about. It is sad but the politically correct idiots will be mounting a full frontal assault against Mr. Watson within the week.

In response to marc, the reason for such low scores, income, and social status, is simply because it was structured for that for many, many, many years by those in power, to ensure that those of color are not given the equal education, hiring practices, social status and many other aspects, it is not the fact of evolution of man, it's the fact of decadence of man, and how they structure the system where equality was just a word, not a practice.

I can see from comments following my posting that liberals will never face facts. Therefore their ideas are not to be taken seriously. They have been indoctrinated into BS and that is where they will stay. They are not to be taken seriously in any kind of discussion concerning reality.

I know many people of both the white and black race; there are stupid, ignorant and unintelligent individuals in both groups. I will admit, however, that on many issues these races see things differently for the same issue because of their culture and environment. DNA may help to establish developmentally the human brain and how adaptive it can be to stimuli. I also agree, sadly, that too much accommodation for the benefit of political correctness has led to an across-the-board of lowering the overall standards for intellectual and even behavioral achievment so as to be inclusive and diverse and not offend or insult. Those who struggle invariably will continue to struggle, because they have sadly been misled into believing that they're either average or even above average and therefore have no incentive to seek betterment. In most school systems, including colleges and universities, test standards have been lowered to accommodate poorer performing individuals, who generally fall into minority groups. Colleges and universities graduate students who aren't performing at high standards, with many of them going into school systems as teachers, ill-equipped to teach. The US is losing solid ground on many fronts of intellectualism all in the name of political correctness. It's a shame that Dr. Watson will be villified for his honest body of work

There could be something to this evolutionary position on intelligence based on the very fact that we are an animal by our very make up. If all animals had equal IQ's it would not matter that some are more adept to certain training than others for specific tasks. Hounds are bread for tracking and dobermans for security yet they both are breeds of canines. This does not relegate the intelligence or importance of each to the animal kingdom.

It's really sad to see him age this way. One would have hoped he'd have found some humility or grace near his end. Well, let's face it--he's always been portrayed as a schmuck. And, it seems true. He's been rumored to be a sexist pig since his shenanigans with Rosalind Franklin's data. Any student of molecular biology alternately admires and abhors this poor man. One can only hope he can reconcile his misdeeds. What arrogance a man can show and yet be so fundamentally ugly.

This is just another reason why people who believe this evolution crap are idiots. When will people learn that intelligence doesn't come from DNA. Its just a gift people have, a talent. I am white, though my school is 75% black. And believe me, most of them are a whole lot smarter than me. Africans in my fiancee's class at NC State are top students in the Organic Chemistry class! This guy is saying we have "evolved" unevenly! *hyperventilates* ughhh, PEOPLE!

ALL present-day humans are directly descended from the anatomically modern humans that developed in Africa and migrated in one or more waves over the past 75,000 years or so. In addition, every analysis of genetic patterns in humans detects extensive DNA variety in people in sub-Saharan Africa but relatively few differences among those elsewhere. This is because it was only a relatively small group of Africans that left the ancestral population and populated Asia, Europe and the Americas. Kenneth Kidd, Professor of Genetics at Yale University, has found that because of this bottleneck exodus, the DNA of black Africans contains more genetic variation than is present in the peoples of ALL OTHER CONTINENTS COMBINED. He suggests that the extremes of human characteristics are more likely to be evident in the original human population of the earth (the black African poulation). Therefore, it is possible the most athletic humans (and least athletic) would be African. In addition, as far as intelligence is determined by DNA, the most intelligent (and least intelligent) would presumably be African as well.

it doesn't matter! who is smarter? Oprah or Ms. Spears? Brit doesn't represent the intelligence of all whites, and Oprah doesn't represent the intelligence of all blacks.

when it comes down to it, you just have to take people for who they are and what each individual has to offer.

i'm an hispanic, and believe me, some of my white clients have been well below average in intelligence, and i have some very intelligent black clients.

stupid, stupid man!

I'm really shocked by the ignorance here. Do you simply want this to be true so you can feel better about your own race, or do you honestly believe that genetics, not historical and cultural disadvantage, has the greater impact on a race?

Blacks in America have been done NO favors since we dragged them over here to do our fieldwork for us. We trample their culture and beliefs, then we ridicule them for not having such. I suppose it would be a logical next step to believe they are genetically inferior to whites, as well.

Unless you are a geneticist, you have only anecdotal evidence to support your claims. "I once met a stupid black guy" and "Most of my white friends are smart" are not scientifically sound data. You are observing very specific culture, NOT genetics.

ALL present-day humans are directly descended from the anatomically modern humans that developed in Africa and migrated in one or more waves over the past 75,000 years or so. In addition, every analysis of genetic patterns in humans detects extensive DNA variety in people in sub-Saharan Africa but relatively few differences among those elsewhere. This is because it was only a relatively small group of Africans that left the ancestral population and populated Asia, Europe and the Americas. Kenneth Kidd, Professor of Genetics at Yale University, has found that because of this bottleneck exodus, the DNA of black Africans contains more genetic variation than is present in the peoples of ALL OTHER CONTINENTS COMBINED. He suggests that the extremes of human characteristics are more likely to be evident in the original human population of the earth (the black African population). Therefore, it is possible the most athletic humans (and least athletic) would be African. In addition, as far as intelligence is determined by DNA, the most intelligent (and least intelligent) would presumably be African as well.

What does it matter? DNA, heredity, culture, race. It's all crap! None of us is nearly as intelligent as we would like to believe. We knowingly destroy ourselves, each other, and the only home we have, the Earth!

ALL present-day humans are directly descended from the anatomically modern humans that developed in Africa and migrated in one or more waves over the past 75,000 years or so. In addition, every analysis of genetic patterns in humans detects extensive DNA variety in people in sub-Saharan Africa but relatively few differences among those elsewhere. This is because it was only a relatively small group of Africans that left the ancestral population and populated Asia, Europe and the Americas. Kenneth Kidd, Professor of Genetics at Yale University, has found that because of this bottleneck exodus, the DNA of black Africans contains more genetic variation than is present in the peoples of ALL OTHER CONTINENTS COMBINED. He suggests that the extremes of human characteristics are more likely to be evident in the original human population of the earth (the black African population). Therefore, it is possible the most athletic humans (and least athletic) would be African. In addition, as far as intelligence is determined by DNA, the most intelligent (and least intelligent) would presumably be African as well.