From: Rafal Smigrodzki (rms2g@virginia.edu)
Date: Fri Sep 20 2002 - 09:20:43 MDT
Since the thread seems to be (luckily) petering out, I wanted to present a
brief summary of my thoughts on the Bell Curve, and what I personally
believe to be its implications for the (extropian) future.
The chief claim of TBC is that cognitive ability as measured by standard IQ
tests significantly varies among humans, plays a large and increasing role
in the success of individuals and groups, and so far no simple, general
method of its enhancement has been found. These claims are widely accepted
by IQ researchers, and in my informal survey of clinical neuropsychologists
with whom I work, are not questioned by professionals in the field, either.
The book is not racist. The authors do not claim genetic inferiority of any
race, to quote "it seems highly likely to us that both genes and the
environment have something to do with racial differences. What might the mix
be? We are resolutely agnostic on the issue; as far as we can determine, the
evidence does not yet justify an estimate" (p. 311)
The book is, however, a gauntlet thrown at the Standard Social Science Model
(to use the Tooby & Cosmides term), and its associated moral assumptions,
namely, that since all humans are "the same", they must have the same
rights, and to deny this assumption is tantamount to questioning all that is
good and proper.
So much for my review, now the manifesto:
All humans, of all races and ages, suffer from insufficient cognitive
capacity, which impairs our ability to choose our goals wisely and to
achieve them. Some of us are more deprived, some less. Whether our
differences are genetic or environmental (itself possibly a dubious
distinction), is irrelevant to the ethical stance - we all need more wisdom.
I am ready to help others, perhaps the ones less lucky than me, and I expect
to receive help from those whose minds are superior to mine.
To help ourselves we need more than good intentions. A clear picture of
biology and biological differences is likely to help. Should some groups of
people be found to have genetic limitations, we'll need to learn more about
them, rather than try to deny them. Only after we understand, we will be
able to help.
Science and technology will hopefully set us free of our current limits.
Once we understand, we all will reach new heights. Let's not leave anyone
behind.
Rafal
PS. Just to get something off my heart - TBC is *not* a neo-Nazi manifesto
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