Odd, that

Anonymous

Have you not heard of Ethiopian Jews, Indian Jews, Nigerian Jews etc - none of whome are caucasian.

On Eman

Dear Anonnymouse, I'm sure Melanie has heard of Ethiopian Jews, Indian Jews, Nigerian Jews etc. You are right when you say they are not Caucasians, but neither are they Ashkenazi. What exactly is your point?

Ian Parker

Genetics largely determines our height, eye and hair colour, natural athletic ability, predisposition to certain diseases and many other factors. It would be strange indeed if genetics did not play a primary role in determining our intelligence. Of course, through time, there have been a number of studies on this link; the result are, naturally, unpalatable. It is therefore no longer an acceptable area for study. I am concerned at the level and spread of these imposed censorships. I am equally happy to accept that Caucasians are less intelligent, on average, than Ashkenazi Jews. I feel neither threatened nor abused by such a revelation. Probably, the key to this is the vital qualifier, on average. Does anybody want to claim that all Ashkenazi Jews are more intelligent that all Caucasians? I think not. So, am I allowed to speculate that the average Ashkenazi Jews might be more intelligent than the average African? Again, I think not. Here we are, then, in our asymmetric world. Essentially, the modern credo dictates that only whites are racist. Even in a minority, we are the oppressors. Such thinking is indeed starting to enter our own education curriculum.

Harry

I'm an Ashkenazi Jew and I'm also Caucasian. He should have written that Ashkenazi Jews have a higher average IQ than their fellow Caucasians.

Steve

"Such thinking is indeed starting to enter our own education curriculum." Such thinking is not only racist, but immensely patronizing.

JJS

Really, Steve? How so?

Lee Jakeman

I'm going to stick my neck out here and say that intelligence has 1. nothing to do with race, 2. nothing to do with genetics and 3. nothing to do with environment. Intelligence is due to CONSCIOUSNESS. The more conscious you are, the more intelligent you are. Consciousness is only raised through SELF-KNOWLEDEGE. When you turn your attention inwards, you become conscious of the neurotic activity in your brain, which then begins to SLOW DOWN as a result. You then experience a GREATER ENERGETIC PRESENCE, or heightened consciousness. It is THIS, not genetics, not race, not environment, that determines your intelligence level. It would be damnably difficult to prove this objectively, but you can discover the truth of it through subjective experience, by practising meditation.

PhilBest

Is it wrong to say that because of genetics, North Africans make better long distance runners, or Negroes make better heavyweight boxers? Or that Polynesians are the most physiologically advantaged?

JJS

No, Philbest, it is only wrong to say that non-whites are superior when it comes to a highly valued characteristic. So, it is wrong to say that blacks are (say) less intelligent than whites, but it is not at all wrong to say that whites are less intelligent than blacks. (By the way, this is merely an example, I do not suggest that these are accurate representations.) As Melanie says, it's not about objective truth, it's about fear of being seen to be racist. Whatever the actual cost.

Ian Parker

Steve, in three lines you make two assertions, both of which are incorrect. I can feel genetics creeping in here, somewhere.

John M

"And why does he say that Ashkenazi Jews are more intelligent than Caucasians when they are Caucasian?" As are many Africans, of course (Caucasian, I mean). But perhaps Dr Watson wasn't referring to those kinds of Africans.

Verity

Gosh, race is such a blessing for the bossy moralists! So much self-righteousness to preach; so little time! Everyone knows that Ashkenazi Jews and the Chinese are the two most intelligent races of human beings. This is not disputable. On the other hand, it is not to say that every Ashenazi is smarter than every other human being; nor that every Chinese is smarter than every non-Chinese.

Maizy Doats

Ashkenazi Jews have Caucasian genes, but they're a distinct ethnic group with a unique genetics. In any case, "Caucasian" is what might be called a super-race, within which sub-races and sub-sub-races can differ in all sorts of ways. There are important genetic differences between the native whites of Britain, for example.

Passerby

As it happens, James Watson has himself made remarks about Ashkenazi Jews being more intelligent than other people - and, astonishingly, did get into trouble for it, the Jewish Anti-Defamation League objecting to the 'genetic stereotyping'. See here: http://www.spme.net/cgi-bin/articles.cgi?ID=1681 (Scroll down for the good parts)

Praguetory

Speaking as someone with a very high IQ and from a family of people with very high IQs I believe that intelligence is genetic. In the absence of sufficient scientific study my views on the racial dimension of intelligence are taken from anecdotal evidence and personal experience. Of course, I won't say what they are.

Nehama

I dispute that Ashkenazi Jews are more intelligent than Sephardi/Mizrahi Jews.

Anon

What a narcissism... Of course Jews are more intellegent than others... And it is genetic... And so, it is normal that they are more susceptible for some diseases, because this is genetic too... So, either you accept every aspect of genetics, or you don't accept it.. You can't always take what you like and reject what you don't like.. It is science here, not rubbish...

field

The truth is no one really understands what makes for intelligence - itself a highly dubious term. One thing is sure - IQ cannot be measuring any real and consistent quality in human beings - or at least not unless you think we are twice as intelligent as our parents. In the last 50 years IQ scores have risen by about 40 points. As a consequence the test results have had to be recalibrated. The rise really reflects our wider education, more complex information handling and broader experience of the world through TV and so on. On genetic ability. About 80 years ago, Jewish boxers regularly won titles and were well respected for their fighting ability. You don't get many Jewish fighters these days. Clearly part of a boxer's ability comes from being raised in a tough urban environment where you must show no fear. Obviously US Blacks meet this requirement very well, although there may indeed be some average genetic advantage. But there are a billion Chinese. I've seen extremely tall Chinese basket ball players. They probably have so much genetic variation that they can turn out a few boxing champions as well.