I agree with those who say it is better not to discuss the issue of whether some races are, on average, more academically successful or of higher IQ than others.
I disagree with the assertion that it is better to avoid these discussions. A better understanding of the forces underlying intelligence, and its correlates of socioeconomic status and wellbeing, are potentially incredibly valuable to the mission of doing the most good.
As Scott Alexander concludes in his article about why Jewish overachievement is interesting[1]:
But maybe the Jewish advantage will turn out to be cultural. If that’s true, I think it would be even more interesting—it would mean there’s some set of beliefs and norms which can double your income and dectuple your chance of making an important scientific discovery.
In the United States, the government spends billions of dollars on education, and increasingly focuses on closing racial achievement gaps. This effort plateaued decades ago, and the gaps remain massive.[2] This is not without costs. For example, many universities have abandoned standardized testing that have been proven predictive of student performance[3][4]. Discovering more effective methods, or that no environmental intervention would close these gaps, is of critical importance both in the United States and in altruistic efforts abroad.
We need to understand the tractability of the problem, as we try to with other interventions.
Ok, well I suppose I agree with Anon Rationalist that *in the current climate* we do need to discuss average intelligence, ability etc of various groups—because that is the only way to stop the pro-black (and thus anti-white and anti-asian) racism. But there was no need to get to this place where we have to discuss average intelligence, ability etc of various groups . Society could just have gone with a colourblind approach, treating each person as an individual regardless of his skin colour—as MLK advocated decades ago.
I disagree with the assertion that it is better to avoid these discussions. A better understanding of the forces underlying intelligence, and its correlates of socioeconomic status and wellbeing, are potentially incredibly valuable to the mission of doing the most good.
As Scott Alexander concludes in his article about why Jewish overachievement is interesting[1]:
In the United States, the government spends billions of dollars on education, and increasingly focuses on closing racial achievement gaps. This effort plateaued decades ago, and the gaps remain massive.[2] This is not without costs. For example, many universities have abandoned standardized testing that have been proven predictive of student performance[3][4]. Discovering more effective methods, or that no environmental intervention would close these gaps, is of critical importance both in the United States and in altruistic efforts abroad.
We need to understand the tractability of the problem, as we try to with other interventions.
https://astralcodexten.substack.com/p/contra-smith-on-jewish-selective
https://reasonwithoutrestraint.com/the-scope-of-racial-disparities-in-test-scores-in-the-united-states/
https://mitadmissions.org/blogs/entry/we-are-reinstating-our-sat-act-requirement-for-future-admissions-cycles/
https://senate.universityofcalifornia.edu/_files/underreview/sttf-report.pdf
Ok, well I suppose I agree with Anon Rationalist that *in the current climate* we do need to discuss average intelligence, ability etc of various groups—because that is the only way to stop the pro-black (and thus anti-white and anti-asian) racism. But there was no need to get to this place where we have to discuss average intelligence, ability etc of various groups . Society could just have gone with a colourblind approach, treating each person as an individual regardless of his skin colour—as MLK advocated decades ago.