IQ, HERITABILITY AND INEQUALITY, PART 2

In: Philosophy & public affairs, Band 4, Heft 1, S. 40-99

Abstract

AT PRESENT, IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO KNOW THE DEGREE OF GENETIC DETERMINATION OF INDIVIDUAL CHARACTERISTICS, IE, THEIR HERITABILITY. MAJOR PROBLEMS OF RELIABILITY ARE MANIFOLD. A CHILD WITH GENOTYPICALLY HIGH INTELLIGENCE MAY MAGNIFY HIS ADVANTAGE BY SHAPING HIS OWN ENVIRONMENT, WHICH THUS MAY BECOME MORE RESPONSIVE TO HIS NEEDS. A CHILD WITH GENOTYPICALLY LOW INTELLIGENCE, BEING AT A DISADVANTAGE, MAY NOT RESPOND TO HIS OWN ENVIRONMENT IN WAYS WHICH CAN AMPLIFY HIS EXPERIENCES. THIS RAISES A QUESTION AS TO THE JUSTICE OF ADULT RESPONSE TO CHILDREN WHICH ENCOURAGES SOME & DISCOURAGES OTHERS. NO MEANINGFUL ESTIMATE OF THE IMPORTANCE OF SUCH INDIRECT GENETIC EFFECTS CAN BE MADE. WHERE IQ IS CONCERNED, IQ'S HERITABILITY MAY BE CALCULATED EVEN THOUGH WE DO NOT KNOW WHAT IQ REALLY IS, OR WHAT VALUE IT HAS. HERITABILITY ESTIMATES ARE USEFUL ONLY IN THAT THEY RELATE TO POSSIBILITIES FOR CHANGE IN PRESENT CIRCUMSTANCES; THEY HAVE NO FUNCTION IN PREDICTING POTENTIAL CHANGES ARISING FROM NEW ENVIRONMENTAL SITUATIONS. WHERE DYSGENICS IS CONCERNED, GIVEN THE SUSPICION THAT IQ TESTS HAVE LIMITED VALUE IN JUDGING INTELLIGENCE, ANY EUGENIC PROGRAM SEEMS FRAUGHT WITH PROFOUND MORAL QUESTIONS. ARGUMENTS REGARDING SOCIAL STRATIFICATION & ITS INEVITABLE STRENGTHENING THROUGH GENETIC REINFORCEMENT ARE SOPHISTICATED BUT FALLACIOUS. WHILE SOME R DOES SEEM TO EXIST BETWEEN IQ & SOCIAL STANDING, THIS MIGHT BE DETERMINED BY A GREAT MANY NONGENETIC FACTORS RELATING TO THE ENVIRONMENT WHICH STATUS & MONEY IN OUR SOCIETY PROVIDE. SUCH IDEOLOGICAL & RACIST OVERTONES IN HERITABILITY DISCUSSIONS RAISE SERIOUS QUESTIONS OF SCIENTIFIC ETHICS; THE WIDE DISSEMINATION & POSSIBLE MISINTERPERTATIONS OF THEIR CONCLUSIONS ARE MAJOR PROBLEMS. SCIENTISTS DO HAVE A CERTAIN OBLIGATION TO CONSIDER THE MORAL IMPLICATIONS OF THEIR RESEARCH & THE POSSIBLE MISUSE OF RESULTS. STUDIES OF HERITABILITY OF IQ SHOULD CERTAINLY CONTINUE; STUDIES WHICH EMPLOY RACE AS THEIR MAJOR VARIABLE, HOWEVER, PARTICULARLY IN VIEW OF OUR TREMENDOUSLY IMPERFECT KNOWLEDGE OF THE VALUE OF IQ, SHOULD BE STOPPED. 1 FIGURE. C. LELAND.