Re: IQ AND RACE. The taboo subject.
David Sternlight (strnlght@netcom.com)
Fri, 10 Feb 1995 19:04:14 GMT
In article <D3qqE8.90z@eskimo.com>, Stephen Lajoie <lajoie@eskimo.com> wrote:
>
>Well, the is a case in the news now. Francis Lawrence, president of
>Rutgers university, said that SAT scores were unfair because black
>students lacked the genetic and hereditary background needed to score
>high on them.
>
He deserves to be fired, either for stupidity or for advocating pernicious
ideas.
The problem isn't the SAT scores. If they are accurate predictors of college
performance, on average (they are), then his problem is that colleges admit
students based on expected performance rather than racial quotas. He can
address that by arguing that they should admit students who are more likely
to flunk out in order to get "racial balance". Maybe he can give minority
students racial preferences on grading--say adding two grade levels to the
grade of such students to compensate for past injustices. Maybe he can
create Martian Studies programs for Martians who normally get lower grades
than us Earthlings, and grade such programs generously.
On the other hand, if he thinks the SAT scores are inaccurate predictors of
college performance, he should say so, and it has nothing to do with
genetics and race.
Or maybe he thinks people should have college degrees in proportion to their
mix in the population, regardless of ability or performance.
Perhaps he'd like to go the the brain surgeon whose board certification is
based on racial preferences. I wouldn't.
David
(That ought to set the cat among the pigeons.)
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