In the article “Intelligence, Race and Genetics”, authors argue that the debate on the issues of intelligence, race and genetics are based on folk taxonomies rather than on scientific facts (Sternberg, Grigorenko, and Kidd, 2005). Because of this notion, authors of this article do not agree with the idea that intelligence has a connection with the human race. According to this article, race does not have a standard definition because it is socially constructed (Sternberg, Grigorenko, and Kidd, 2005).
Indeed, people have different definitions of this concept. On the other hand, an argument that human intelligence can be defined in terms of race is invalid because there is no tool, which accurately measures human intelligence. After a series of studies was conducted on the relationship between race and intelligence, it was determined that no particular gene could be linked to variation of intelligence. Authors of this article also do not find any link between intelligence, heredity and behavior genetic factors.
For a long time, the connection between race and intelligence has been a huge debate in the scientific and academic disciplines. However, since the inception of IQ (Intelligence Quotient), researchers have concluded that nothing can measure human intelligence accurately (like a tape measure does when measuring height or length) (Sternberg, Grigorenko, and Kidd, 2005). As such, there is a need to study this connection carefully. This kind of experiment can only involve studying multiple disciplines that relate to social life and nature of human beings, which include biology, sociology, anthropology and psychology (Alland, 2002).
Humans have a tendency to classify everything and have, therefore come up with “metaphors” for understanding why some individuals are more successful, richer, or more intelligent than the others (Sternberg, Grigorenko, and Kidd, 2005). In my opinion, the notion that intelligence level can be linked to race is a developed folk taxonomy, which does not have scientific foundation.
In a country where there is a mixture of whites and blacks, both races appear to occupy noble professions such as lawyers, doctors, teachers, etc. (Alland, 2002). IQ tests performed in the US consistently revealed that there was a considerable variation in the intelligence level between blacks and whites (Alland, 2002). The test demonstrated that people with African origin had a lower score compared to those of the European ancestry (Alland, 2002).
The variation of intelligence among different people can be explained by other aspects such as climatic factors (Sternberg, Grigorenko, and Kidd, 2005). Harsh climatic conditions can make individuals become more innovative as a means of survival. According to Nisbett and Cohen (1996), this form of survival is like a competition, which encourages intellectual development in individuals.
From this article, it is clearly evident that most scientists do not agree with the theory that there is a connection between human intelligence and race. The most significant information from this article is that the division lines among people of different races are “highly fluid and that most genetic variation exists within all social groups—not between them” (Foster and Sharp, 2002).
More recent studies have revealed that human genetic composition has nothing to do with the intelligence level. These studies revealed that only a small percentage (of between 11 and 23) of all genetic variation is as a result of the difference in genetic composition. This difference in the genetic composition can be attributed to the difference in “allele frequencies” (Sternberg, Grigorenko, and Kidd, 2005). Naturally, genetic variation is observable in people of all races.
This form of variation in the genetic composition is more rampant among people who have different genotypes. Studies that have been done to examine variation of genetics in humans revealed that the difference is not much pronounced. Based on these studies, it is even clearer that the intelligence level cannot vary among races because of the human genetic composition. These studies have also been supported by Foster and Sharp (2002).
As an educationist, this article offers individuals a lot of useful information about an ongoing research on the variation of human intelligence. The information provided in this article leaves one with the curiosity of understanding what actually causes variation in the intelligence among people of different races. It elicits the need to do more research to find answers on numerous questions within to this topic. This article can help an educationist understand that intelligence varies from one individual to another. With this idea, one can appreciate such differences and hence accommodate others in the society.
In conclusion, there is no specific definition of intelligence and race as revealed by this article. Even though many researchers study “IQ” as an operational definition of intelligence, there is no particular tool that can measure human intelligence accurately. On the other hand, the term “race” is a social construction, which may vary depending on the context. As such, there is a need to do more research in this area to avoid making up folk conceptions. With extensive research, the connection between human intelligence, race and genetics will be based on the scientific facts.
Reference List
Alland, A. (2002). Race in Mind. London: Macmillan.
Foster, M. W., & Sharp, R. R. (2002). Race, ethnicity, and genomics: Social classifications as proxies of biological heterogeneity. Genome Research, 12, 844–850.
Nisbett, R. E., & Cohen, D. (1996). Culture of honor. Boulder, CO: Westview.
Sternberg, R. J., Grigorenko,E. L.,& Kidd, K. K. (2005). Intelligence, race, and genetics. The American Psychological Association, 60, 46–59.