By now, I'm sure you've heard about the recent comments of Dr. James Watson, of "Watson, Wilkins, & Crick" fame.
We all know that he's (a) wrong and (b) a bit nutty. But what if a scientist were to make a geniune discovery of intellectual differences based on race, nationality, or gender? Does s/he have a responsibility, as a scientist, to make the discovery public? Does s/he have an ethical responsibility, as a human being, to suppress the results of the experiment, knowing that such a disclosure would likely be used as a justification for the oppression of a class of persons? Leave your thoughts on the comment board.
Monday, October 22, 2007
James Watson Doesn't Like Brown People and Other Ethical Dilemmas
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4 comments:
Every person is good at some things and not so good at others. While stereotypes and gender biases can be hurtful, they are often based on actual physical or mental attributes. We are not all created equal- and this is a good thing. Without differences, life would not be interesting. Without differences, we would all be in constant conflict with everyone persuing the same ideal.
- AA
What do you mean IF? Read The Bell Curve (not the stupid reviews which claim - without ANY supporting data - that it's "wrong", but the real book). There ARE differences between people. And, BTW, western Europeans are NOT the smartest group.
I say, "if" because the jury's still out. If you read "The Bell Curve," you also have to read "The Mismeasure of Man," "Losing the Race," and "No Excuses." Perhaps "The Bell Curve" comes to a definite conclusion, but just as many other psychologists and sociologists are still going back and forth.
One can read inspirational books such as "No Excuses: The True Story of a Congenital Amputee Who Became a Champion in Wrestling" or "Losing the Race: Self-Sabotage in Black America" if one wants to feel good about mankind. One can read Gould's Mismeasurement if you enjoy reading "a man whose ideas are so confused as to be hardly worth bothering with, but as one who should not be publicly criticized because he is at least on our side against the creationists." Gould is particularly useful if you don't believe in measurable intelligence (which is a comforting, but nevertheless insane, argument).
One can read an empirical technical analysis like "The Bell Curve" if one wants to understand the issues.
The jury is out only if the facts fail to overcome leftist prejudice.
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