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antigone382

(3,682 posts)
4. Fucking A science writing is stupid.
Wed May 22, 2013, 05:12 PM
May 2013

I am not going to pretend to be totally up to date on the correlation between genes and intelligence, but suffice it to say that genetics are not the whole story. It is well known that the cluster of traits and behaviors which our culture calls "intelligence" (I'll save the debate for whether or not intelligence actually exists for another day) is profoundly influenced by social/environmental factors as well. We all know this; kids that get better nutrition, kids that are read to as children, kids that live in situations which allow and encourage learning, kids who see their parents model the behaviors that contribute to intelligence...those kids in general are going to be more intelligent than kids who are deprived such things. Of course the article chooses to define only "inherited" intelligence as true intelligence, as if there's some totally reliable and clear cut way to separate it from environmental factors which influence intelligence, but whatever, it's par for the course.

Moreover, what possible evidence is there of a decline in intelligence following the invention of agriculture? How would you even measure it? The article cites not a shred of evidence that such a decline occurred, only that a scientist somewhere said in an e-mail that he thinks it may have occurred for maybe this or that reason. This is pure speculation and should be presented as such.

So according to this, the problem is more dumb people having kids? NT 7962 May 2013 #1
Yep, that same old tired nineteenth century dysgenics bullshit. Posteritatis May 2013 #11
Also the eugenics argument that the Nazis (and others) used bhikkhu May 2013 #48
Perhaps they only tested educated people in the Victorian era? SharonAnn May 2013 #13
Based on a test of reaction times lolly May 2013 #34
So The Solution Is The Sterilization Of Dumb People DallasNE May 2013 #58
The future Renew Deal May 2013 #2
Especially if absolutely shitty science writing like that linked to above becomes the norm. n/t antigone382 May 2013 #5
Hilarious! I thought exactly of this movie when I saw the post. Sadly, it's coming true. kysrsoze May 2013 #9
"You talk like a fag and your shit's all retarded!" backscatter712 May 2013 #35
Don't they know about regression towards the mean? Manifestor_of_Light May 2013 #3
Fucking A science writing is stupid. antigone382 May 2013 #4
100 % maindawg May 2013 #37
i read old books. my 1891 encyclopedia britannica's language is full of colons + semi-colons. pansypoo53219 May 2013 #6
Where do you find old books to read pscot May 2013 #14
I can answer that if you do not mind. dixiegrrrrl May 2013 #21
That is slightly overwhelming pscot May 2013 #23
You need to have an author in mind or a topic dixiegrrrrl May 2013 #26
Thanks pscot May 2013 #39
+1 gvstn May 2013 #38
That means education has come down. caseymoz May 2013 #40
Did you try to write like a 6 year old ? maindawg May 2013 #41
McGuffy Readers were popular in Cleveland public jaysunb May 2013 #42
I have spent a great deal of time defacto7 May 2013 #47
Not inconceivable to me at all ... brett_jv May 2013 #59
If that was true what happened to the very independent Appalachian people? ErikJ May 2013 #7
Ya know... cyberswede May 2013 #8
I love that movie! Brigid May 2013 #24
That started in the 80's. No president has talked to us like adults since Carter. craigmatic May 2013 #53
better get the Gatorade hooked up to my sprinkler... CarrieLynne May 2013 #10
Not Gatorade ... Brawndo! brett_jv May 2013 #60
Few years ago I took a 5 grade test from 1904. I was amazed at how much info that.. BlueJazz May 2013 #12
and tv, replacing reading. dixiegrrrrl May 2013 #29
^^ this ^^ this ^^ this ^^ defacto7 May 2013 #50
The authors of the study could find no moderns as The Second Stone May 2013 #15
Mostly bull$hit WestCoastLib May 2013 #16
Doesn't surprise me in the least. kestrel91316 May 2013 #17
The problem would probably be advances in medical science... Spider Jerusalem May 2013 #18
I bet they didn't know dipsydoodle May 2013 #19
These dumb people are also known as repubilcans. olddad56 May 2013 #20
You mean my IQ could be as high 153? aggiesal May 2013 #22
The Flynn effect is very well documented and it says the opposite is true Exultant Democracy May 2013 #25
so "Westerners" IQ = "human intelligence"? fishwax May 2013 #27
such diversity in that picture! Skittles May 2013 #28
That explains the resurgence of the republican party. n/t Bonhomme Richard May 2013 #30
In the 1800s the Republicans were the good guys and the dems were the bad guys. mucifer May 2013 #51
Smarter in the days of slavery, torture, leeches and witch-burning? ErikJ May 2013 #31
Intelligence doesn't mean compassion or common sense. Also, hindered by lack of information. onehandle May 2013 #32
We outsource our slavery and torture. mucifer May 2013 #52
Is it just me, or did anyone else notice the pop up ad for ''Lumosity'' on this thread? YOHABLO May 2013 #33
On a humorous note... but seriously FlynnArcher72 May 2013 #36
Or listen to 5 minutes of Glen Beck. randome May 2013 #45
Well, people in Victorian times read Dickens and Dostoyevsky Jack Rabbit May 2013 #43
Dumb at its concept. caseymoz May 2013 #44
WHERE DID THIS RESEARCH OCCUR, IQs were invented during WWI NOT Victorian times happyslug May 2013 #46
Pretty sure most scientists are fairly familiar w/basic statistical concepts ... brett_jv May 2013 #61
Not suprised the fucking republicans want to have a whole gopiscrap May 2013 #49
What they want to do is take us back to the era..... AverageJoe90 May 2013 #56
I would reply to this post, but I don't have the time right now... Harry Monroe May 2013 #54
This is complete fucking bullshit. I'm sorry. AverageJoe90 May 2013 #55
two words. tea party. ZRT2209 May 2013 #57
Locking, sorry but this isn't breaking news, was announced last week Rhiannon12866 May 2013 #62
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