Re: Is IQ usefully predictive? (was: Re: the term "eugenics")

From: Anders Sandberg (asa@nada.kth.se)
Date: Fri Aug 24 2001 - 05:51:01 MDT


On Fri, Aug 24, 2001 at 02:51:31PM +1000, Damien Broderick wrote:
> I think Anders stated that it's not correlated with other desiderata such
> as success at college or in life. This is not supported by, say:
>
> http://www.sciam.com/1998/1198intelligence/1198gottfredbox2.html
>
> which is a rather interesting graph in a 1998 SciAm article on `g'

Well, I stated that IQ is not correlated with useful effects for entire
nations (which was the original context in the previous thread). I admit
that it is correlated to academic achievements.

Honestly, can we say that academic success contributes to the success of
a nation? Being an avid academic I would dearly like this to be true,
but I don't think there is much evidence for it. Literacy is good, and
having free institutions and a strong middle class helps further
democracy and economic development. But does really help to have plenty
of Ph.Ds and professors? Scientific development likely correlates with
having universities, but since you can draw on the achievements of
others it is not clear that having a lead will give you a big advantage
economically and politically.

-- 
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Anders Sandberg                                      Towards Ascension!
asa@nada.kth.se                            http://www.nada.kth.se/~asa/
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