Intelligence is one of the most complex traits to measure in human psychology because a single inherent factor does not measure intelligence. The idea that our genes somewhat determine intelligence has faced several criticisms for various reasons. Rushton’s views are wrong because his arguments are not scientific, and neither are they backed up by current research evidence.
First, Rushford’s presentation of race as fixed is wrong because it is antagonistic with the evolutionary theory. According to Goodman (2000), it is not yet clearly defined what race entails and what it does not. Rushton’s conception of race is the traditionalistic fixed concept, which in view with today’s scientific notions of race, would be a lie. Again, the human race is continuous, and therefore cannot be limited to race. It is not possible to draw a line of demarcation between where one race starts and where another ends (Goodman, 2000). For instance, skin color would vary depending on where an individual is. Most of the human variations are liable to change from place to place as individuals tend to adapt and acclimatize to their underlying environment in their geographical location. Other classification methods of race are ridden with inconsistencies, which makes the science wholly unreliable.
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Furthermore, Rushford’s belief in the identification of race from skeletons shows how poorly human racial models perform. Giles and Elliot’s method is perhaps the most popular method for the identification of race from skeletons. While results from their original study where they were classifying individuals members of one of three possible races were considered successful, the method failed to correctly determine Native Americans in 4 retests (Goodman, 2000). This massive failure explains why Rushford is wrong in propagating his views.
According to the film Race and Intelligence: Science’s Last Taboo , race does not offer a gap in intelligence, any less than it provides a space for human development (Preston, 2009). The problem wholly lies with IQ tests, which is unable to test the intelligence of individuals according to their ability to adapt to modern life intelligence (Preston, 2009). Environmental changes as a result of modernization significantly impact intelligence. The use of technology, smaller families, and the reduced burden of women has contributed significantly to the rise of the intelligence levels both in men and women. In modern times, people are exposed to knowledge sources, and it is easier to acquire knowledge compared to a century ago. Therefore, more people can manipulate abstract concepts such as categories and hypotheses in academic fields; this is a powerful incentive for human intelligence. The drive to learn has brought about the need for customized classrooms that allow students to approach learning from different perspectives – from using computerized learning applications to hands-on projects – these developments fit the personalities of students (Williams, 2014). The customization of students’ classrooms improves knowledge and develops children’s intelligence to unprecedented levels. Furthermore, children in developed countries are more likely to show high levels of intelligence than children in developing countries (Willimas, 2014).
Overall, biological variations in humans should not be limited to race. The human race is too complicated to fit into the outdated idea that race is inherently defined in an individual’s DNA. Furthermore, the human race develops in a realistic world affected by the underlying environment, and cannot be passed on from one individual to another. Rushton’s belief that race influences intelligence is wrong for several reasons because genes do not determine an individual’s IQ; they influence how well one performs academically (Willimas, 2014). Furthermore, the human race is variable and not fixed as Rushford claims. Therefore, Rushfords’ argument that race can be identified from the DNA and skeletons is wrong.
References
Goodman, A. H. (2000). Why genes don’t count (for racial differences in health). American Journal of Public Health, 90 (11), 1699-702. htpps://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.90.11.1699
Preston, J. (2009, October 28). Race and intelligence: Science’s last taboo, Channel 4, review. The Telegraph. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvandradio/6454303/Race-and-Intelligence-Sciences-Last-Taboo-Channel-4-review.html
Williams, S. C. P. (2014, October 6). Genes don’t just influence your IQ—they determine how well you do in school. American Association for the Advancement of Science. (AAAS). https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2014/10/genes-dont-just-influence-your-iq-they-determine-how-well-you-do-school
