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Abstract
ABSTRACTIn a very short time, it is likely that we will identify many of the genetic variants underlying individual differences in intelligence. We should be prepared for the possibility that these variants are not distributed identically among all geographic populations, and that this explains some of the phenotypic differences in measured intelligence among groups. However, some philosophers and scientists believe that we should refrain from conducting research that might demonstrate the (partly) genetic origin of group differences in IQ. Many scholars view academic interest in this topic as inherently morally suspect or even racist. The majority of philosophers and social scientists take it for granted that all population differences in intelligence are due to environmental factors. The present paper argues that the widespread practice of ignoring or rejecting research on intelligence differences can have unintended negative consequences. Social policies predicated on environmentalist theories of group differences may fail to achieve their aims. Large swaths of academic work in both the humanities and social sciences assume the truth of environmentalism and are vulnerable to being undermined. We have failed to work through the moral implications of group differences to prepare for the possibility that they will be shown to exist.
Highlights
The idea that all human groups have, on average, the same potential to develop all psychological traits and abilities is an empirically testable claim, but in some important ways it is unlike most other empirical claims investigated by scientists
According to Rose (2009), the fact that psychometricians focus on the IQ gap between some groups (e.g., Blacks vs. Whites) rather than others “calls into question the motivation behind looking for such specific group differences in intelligence, sheds doubt on whether such research is well-founded, and begs whether answers could possibly be put to good use” (p. 786)
The present paper argues that utilitarian arguments in favor of restricting research on group differences in intelligence have generally given short shrift to the potential and actual serious harms that have resulted from the current practice of stigmatizing and dismissing controversial work, and they have ignored the potential benefits that might follow from openly confronting evidence about group differences
Summary
The idea that all human groups have, on average, the same potential to develop all psychological traits and abilities is an empirically testable claim, but in some important ways it is unlike most other empirical claims investigated by scientists. I have deep sympathy for the concern that genetic discoveries about differences among populations may be misused to justify racism It is precisely because of this sympathy that I am worried that people who deny the possibility of substantial biological differences among populations across a range of traits are digging themselves into an indefensible position, one that will not survive the onslaught of science. Reich (2018) addresses another common argument used to reject the possibility of substantial race differences: even if there is genetically based variation “affecting cognition or behavior,” these differences must be small because “so little time has passed since the separation of populations”
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