New Onion

At the risk of igniting a shit storm, I came across an article that does a decent job of summarising findings on IQ differences between blacks and whites in the USA. The basic point of all good research done is that all brains are the same colour, but differences in environmental factors produce differences in IQ between blacks and whites. However, since life outcomes are strongly influenced by IQ there may be a 900 pound gorilla in the demographic closet.

Link: All brains are the same colour

A superior adoption study — and one not discussed by the hereditarians — was carried out at Arizona State University by the psychologist Elsie Moore, who looked at black and mixed-race children adopted by middle-class families, either black or white, and found no difference in I.Q. between the black and mixed-race children. Most telling is Dr. Moore’s finding that children adopted by white families had I.Q.’s 13 points higher than those of children adopted by black families. The environments that even middle-class black children grow up in are not as favorable for the development of I.Q. as those of middle-class whites.

When we look at racial differences in present day achievement IQ is a potentially very material factor.

In the end it all comes back to social mobility. School lunches, daycare, and some other programs have shown excellent return on investment in terms of future life outcomes.