Re: BELL CURVE CRITIC EXPOSED?
David A. Johns (djohns@grove.ufl.edu)
26 Jan 1995 10:23:47 GMT
In article <1995Jan26.014311.23884@sserve.cc.adfa.oz.au> bentj93@cs.adfa.oz.au writes:
# I respectfully submit that our knowledge of human genetics is
# inadequate to determine a priori that it is impossible for the
# genetic differences between 'races' (as used by Murray and
# Herrnstein) to have behavioural consequents. Rather than
# rejecting their racial classification as worthless it would be
# more open-minded and scientific to evaluate its explanatory power
# on the basis of objective statistical evidence. 'Political
# implications' has no place as an argument in scientific debate.
Fine. Let me give you a head start:
1. Define intelligence.
2. Define race.
3. Devise a test that can measure intelligence reliably without
regard to a person's prior experience with the measuring
devices.
4. Devise an experimental design that can isolate a subject's
race from any other influences that might correlate with race
without being deterministically associated with it.
5. Construct a reasonable model in biological terms for any
results you get.
And by the way, you might try to avoid saying things like "you can't
prove that it isn't true" among scientists. That line has
unfortunately evolved into somewhat of an in-joke in that crowd.
David Johns
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