October 18, 2007

scientists react to comments by James Watson on race and intelligence

In an interview, the genetics pioneer James Watson made comments suggesting that there is a genetic basis for differences in intelligence between different races.

Dr. Craig Venter, said:

“Skin color as a surrogate for race is a social concept not a scientific one. There is no basis in scientific fact or in the human genetic code for the notion that skin color will be predictive of intelligence.”

Colin Blakemore, Professor of Neuroscience at University of Oxford, said:

“It’s outrageous to ban someone based on newspaper reports of their views. Jim Watson is well known for being provocative and politically incorrect. But it would be a sad world if such a distinguished scientist was silenced because of his more unpalatable views.

“On what he is reported to have said – defining intelligence is complex and there are many forms of intelligence – not all of which are captured by IQ tests. In any case it would be as unethical to organise society around some numerical indicator of difference as it would to do so on the basis of skin colour. Justifying discrimination on the basis of difference is utterly unacceptable.”

Dr Jan Schnupp, Lecturer in Neurophysiology, Oxford University, said:

“James Watson’s comments make it very clear that he is an expert on genetics, NOT on intelligence. No one has as yet managed to devise an intelligence test that can measure accurately how smart you are innately, and Steven J Gould’s excellent book ‘The Mismeasure of Man’ explains very nicely how conventional ‘intelligence testing’ invariably stacks the cards against individuals from an Afro-Caribbean cultural background. We know that people from an underprivileged background, undernourished and undereducated, will perform less well on such test than those who have the best conditions for their mental development. Race has nothing to do with it, and there is no fundamental obstacle to black people becoming exceptionally bright.”

Baroness Susan Greenfield, neuroscientist and director of the Royal Institution, said:

“I would like to know what ‘tests’ James Watson is citing to support his opinions.

“There was a great uproar quite some time ago with a book called the Bell Curve which suggested that there were racial differences in intelligence. If Watson is citing this work, further work has found the findings not to be as simple as they implied and that there was a strong cultural factor involved.

“In any event, IQ tests can only ever be an evaluation of how good people are at IQ tests. Surely intellectual ability is much more diverse and complex than that!

“It is a great shame that someone as distinguished as James Watson should make such comments.”