DAVID BROOKS: The Waning of I.Q.

[Demeter]

http://freedemocracy.blogspot.com/

A nice phenomenon of the past few years is the diminishing influence of I.Q.

For a time, I.Q. was the most reliable method we had to capture mental aptitude. People had the impression that we are born with these information-processing engines in our heads and that smart people have more horsepower than dumb people.

And in fact, there’s something to that. There is such a thing as general intelligence; people who are good at one mental skill tend to be good at others. This intelligence is partly hereditary. A meta-analysis by Bernie Devlin of the University of Pittsburgh found that genes account for about 48 percent of the differences in I.Q. scores. There’s even evidence that people with bigger brains tend to have higher intelligence.

But there has always been something opaque about I.Q. In the first place, there’s no consensus about what intelligence is. Some people think intelligence is the ability to adapt to an environment, others that capacity to think abstractly, and so on.



ONE COMMENT: DAVID BROOKS NEEDN'T WORRY HIS PRETTY LITTLE HEAD ABOUT IQ. IT WILL NEVER BE A SIGNIFICANT ISSUE FOR HIM.

[Deja Q]

1. With the media also putting out stories like how people with high IQ aren't better off financially,

one could fathom any number of :tinfoilhat: ideas.

[n2doc]

2. Oh yeah, it is so "nice" that stupid people run things now

Just look at all the progress they've made in the past 6 years :sarcasm:

[Demeter]

5. Stupid and Crooked

If they were just stupid, they couldn't run anything. It's ethical and moral stupidity, more than lack of intelligence. It's lack of heart and soul and understanding that bad actions have very bad consequences, and the belief these crooks have that they can evade any retribution or consequence and get away free and wealthy.

[insanad]

11. Dumb as a fox

It's easy to see George W. Bush as a world class moron with his frequent Gaffes and absolutely foolish perspectives, but after reading some of the expose's by Molly Ivins and others I'm inclined to believe that George W. Bush is the perfect stoolie for Dick Cheney, Carl Rove, the Republican Party and the Corporate Crooks that own them. They seemed to know that it would only take a terrorist attack and the loss of a "Mere 3,000" people to get the congress to approve their diabolical plan to invade Iraq, arrange the contracts and bids for War Profiteering that Haliburton and other companies have benefited from, control the oil distribution in Iraq, and the numerous enviormnental rape and tax cut bills that have put millions in their pockets. It's the American people who are dumb in allowing this man to come to power, to remain, and to not pay for the many offenses he and his administration have committed. Perhaps we all need to take a National I.Q. test to see what possible retardation or brain damage could lead us to let such a monstor come to power. If we can understand the problem, perhaps we can work on a treatment.

[Snarkturian Clone]

3. Some guys wrote a book about IQ's effect on society.

They were lambasted and discredited without anyone actually reading the book. The book is almost 20 years old now and some of the things in it have come true...

People love to post "studies" on things that come up with all kinds of useless information. These guys did a study spanning decades are were derided because their results were not what everyone expected. Granted, some of the book is malarky being that the older it gets the more the stats in it get out of date.

Something tells me I'm going to regret posting this.

[Demeter]

4. Do You Have a Title or Author On That?

I'm interested....and defend your right to post anything!

[Snarkturian Clone]

12. I'll PM it to you.

I was wrong about 2 things... the book is 13 years old, not 20- and the study spans 2 decades as in the 80's and early 90's.

[bemildred]

6. It is simple-minded to think that intelligence can be reduced to a number.

That you can measure intelligence like you would a 2x4.

Even "ordinary" people have special aptitudes and special talents, and all should be respected.

Moreover, even based on this fellows numbers, 52% of the result is nurture, not nature, hence better care for the young will lead to a much smarter population.

That said, some people are obviously far more competent and effective in dealing with problems than others, and such differences should be utilized for the good of everyone.

[Paladin]

7. Gotta Love The Irony, Here.....

A column on decreasing IQ from David Brooks, who appears to get more ignorant with every article he writes.....

[Igel]

8. Actually, he even mentions the Flynn effect.

A complete title would have been, The Waning Importance of the Concept "IQ".

But to get from the NYT title to understanding what the title means requires reading, and comprehension.

[L0oniX]

9. Low IQ = Bush voters

[Demeter]

10. Bush Voters Have Mental Illness and Personality Disorders

Even the most mentally limited know when they are being screwed, and resist. It's sick people who like being abused.