re: #73 freetoken

Yes, you make a case that culture trumps.

However, and this is where things are going to get real sticky in the next decade or two, it is probably the case that genetics plays a role that can actually be identified, in so far as certain aspects of that admixture of traits labeled “IQ” is concerned. There are indications surfacing in the research that certain human capabilities can, in part, be traced to localities on the genome.

I expect that this issue is going to slowly cook under the hood, with only dedicated readers (certainly not the Oprah audience) following it. But, the rise of xenophobia that is likely to accompany the malthusian struggles this country (and others) face will be fertile ground for cultural-superiority crowd, and that crowd is easily swayed by pseudo-science or misappropriated science.

And I assert that any genetic component to the traits called “IQ” doesn’t matter a whit.

IQ is not necessarily a predictor of success in life or at work, or an ability to life a full and meaningful life. We need everybody. There’s a lifestyle and work needs to suit all sorts of people. There are be problems and issues and at both the extreme low end of the range (mental retardation) and the extreme high ends of the range (genius). There are challenges for all of us as individual humans no matter where we fall in the range.

Other traits contribute to a person’s success as much as IQ. Desire to work hard, do your very best, ability to interact well with others, ability to react appropriately to authority, etc.

The focus on IQ is much ado about not much, IMO.

None of the above is based on any scientific studies; just my own observations about people and behavior and their success over the course of 30 years of working in HR.