Am I a racist or a realist??

[Meathead]

I believe IQ also manifests itself in the ability of offspring. It is logical that people with higher IQs nurture their children to be successful. That may well be part and parcel of having higher IQs. it is a matter of discerning cause and effect.

 

[Foxfyre]

I believe IQ also manifests itself in the ability of offspring. It is logical that people with higher IQs nurture their children to be successful. That may well be part and parcel of having higher IQs. it is a matter of discerning cause and effect.

IQ could definitely be a factor in how parents choose to nurture for sure. And studies of twins do show they share a lot in common in the IQ quotient. But there are just too many studies showing geniuses coming from parents of normal intelligence as well as the consistent infrequency that geniuses beget geniuses to make me believe that genetics is a huge factor in intelligence. My personal perception is that culture is a much more important contributor to the general measurable intelligence of people.

 

[Meathead]

I believe IQ also manifests itself in the ability of offspring. It is logical that people with higher IQs nurture their children to be successful. That may well be part and parcel of having higher IQs. it is a matter of discerning cause and effect.

IQ could definitely be a factor in how parents choose to nurture for sure. And studies of twins do show they share a lot in common in the IQ quotient. But there are just too many studies showing geniuses coming from parents of normal intelligence as well as the consistent infrequency that geniuses beget geniuses to make me believe that genetics is a huge factor in intelligence. My personal perception is that culture is a much more important contributor to the general measurable intelligence of people.

If geniuses were born to people of lower intellect, I would agree that intelligence would not be genetically unimportant. That is very rarely the case. Likewise, two attractive people have a greater chance to produce attractive children, although that is certainly no guarantee.

 

[Foxfyre]

I believe IQ also manifests itself in the ability of offspring. It is logical that people with higher IQs nurture their children to be successful. That may well be part and parcel of having higher IQs. it is a matter of discerning cause and effect.

IQ could definitely be a factor in how parents choose to nurture for sure. And studies of twins do show they share a lot in common in the IQ quotient. But there are just too many studies showing geniuses coming from parents of normal intelligence as well as the consistent infrequency that geniuses beget geniuses to make me believe that genetics is a huge factor in intelligence. My personal perception is that culture is a much more important contributor to the general measurable intelligence of people.

If geniuses were born to people of lower intellect, I would agree that intelligence would not be genetically unimportant. That is very rarely the case. Likewise, two attractive people have a greater chance to produce attractive children, although that is certainly no guarantee.

Physical characteristics are definitely genetic though, so yes, attractive more often begets attractive. But it is a rare family that produces more than one genius. So I think it is safe to say that the huge majority of geniuses--people of very high IQ--were born to people with considerably lower IQs.

But in my opinion, IQ alone is no indication of genius. There are simply too many levels or variables of genius. A person who scores in the top of the top 1 percentile in one area might score below average in another. How is it that one person easily understands the construction of musical chords and making musical transitions comes as naturally and effortlessly as breathing while others can study all their lives and barely become merely competent, if even that? How does one master a language quickly and effortlessly while another studies for years without ever becoming fully fluent? Are not natural gifts and aptitude also a form of genius?

I know a few people who have had every advantage including loving parents and all the opportunities in the world who are dumb as rocks. And I know some who have overcome handicaps and disadvantages that would break a lot of us who are brilliant and achieved great personal success. So nurture isn't everything, but I think in the big picture view, for the large majority of us, the culture we live in has a huge bearing on how well we as a group do on IQ tests.