Skip Navigation

The Daily Dish - 2006-2011 archives for The Daily Dish, featuring Andrew Sullivan

Race and IQ, Again

By The Daily Dish
Dec 4 2007, 3:31 AM ET

James Flynn is one of the most respected scientists in the field, the man who showed that we're all getting smarter, i.e. the "Flynn Effect." Here's a piece that focuses on the race and IQ questions, and the interaction between genes and environment. Money quote:

There is still the puzzle of how environmental differences can be so weak when we compare individuals born at the same time, but so strong over time. The key, which Flynn attributes to fruitful discussions with his collaborator, William Dickens, an economist at the Brookings Institution in Flynn's hometown of Washington, DC, lies in the observation that superior genes cause superior performance by co-opting superior environments...

Flynn's thesis ... points towards a satisfying answer to his original question: why do black Americans still perform worse on IQ tests than whites do, even when matched for poverty and other disadvantages? It is perfectly possible that in a still-biased society their genes can only co-opt inferior environments.

ZenPundit comments here. Ten questions for Flynn here.



Presented by

More at The Atlantic

Our Aging Prison Population: Should Criminals Die Free? Should Aging Prisoners Die Free?
Third Grade Again: The Trouble With Holding Students Back The Trouble With Holding Students Back
The Fight for a Fair and Free Internet The Fight for a Fair and Free Internet
Greece Is on Pace for the Worst Recession in Modern History Why the Greek Recession Could Get Much Worse
Love Stinks: An Economic Manifesto Love (on the Internet) Stinks
Special Report
The Civil War National Portrait Gallery The Civil War
President Obama reflects on what Lincoln means to him and to America, in an introduction to our special issue. Read more ›
View All Correspondents

The Biggest Story in Photos

World Press Photo Contest 2012

Feb 15, 2012

The Atlantic Wire

what matters now
Last Update: 7:00 PM

Subscribe Now

SAVE 59%! 10 issues JUST $2.45 PER COPY

Facebook

Newsletters

Sign up to receive our free newsletters

(sample)

(sample)

(sample)

(sample)