"Nearly all the evidence suggesting a genetic basis for the I.Q. differential is indirect...In fact, we know that the I.Q. difference between black and white 12-year-olds has dropped to 9.5 points from 15 points in the last 30 years � a period that was more favorable for blacks in many ways than the preceding era.
Black progress on the National Assessment of Educational Progress shows equivalent gains. Reading and math improvement has been modest for whites but substantial for blacks.
Most important, we know that interventions at every age from infancy to college can reduce racial gaps in both I.Q. and academic achievement, sometimes by substantial amounts in surprisingly little time. ... And it should encourage us, as a society, to see that all children receive ample opportunity to develop their minds."
Charles Murray has addressed these issues as well (e.g. see
Real Education. Again, he cited sources for every claim he made.
He presented pretty convincing evidence that adoption at birth has a lasting, positive influence on IQ (a pretty very strong argument for an environmental influence). He argued that black improvement on IQ and other tests was environmental.
No one is arguing that children at both ends of the IQ scale shouldn't have "ample opportunity to develop their minds." This is another misconception that's thrown at The Bell Curve. "Differences exist" is simply a statement of fact, not a prescription for how to educate.
Pulling this out:
This mutability is further evidence that the I.Q. difference has environmental, not genetic, causes.
You're implying that genetics plays no role in IQ. If this is true, why do so many HG+ kids here have at least one HG+ parent and/or other HG+ family member?
It's universally accepted that genetics plays a role in hair color, skin color, susceptibility to breast cancer, height, and so on. I don't understand why people pretend that it can't play a role in IQ. The argument doesn't make sense.
Obviously, environment has a role. Heavy cigarette smoking during pregnancy can depress IQ, just like smoking
can increase the risk of developing lung cancer. I'm not talking in absolutes. Biology is very complex and there are no simple answers. But I just don't see how anyone can deny that there is a role for genetics in IQ.
