With very good reason, almost nobody will say aloud what Watson has said.

First, it isn't proven. From what I have read (not much) Watson's observation sounds like he believes it is a certainty.

Second, the tests that I believe he alludes to are those that assume all things being equal for which the test cannot control. Factors like diet, social influences, education, etc. It hardly takes a Nobel Laureate to realize that when comparing Africans with Europeans, all things are NOT equal. The single greatest inflence (IMO) is poor diet, especially vitamins and protein deficiencies in utero and early childhood have a huge influence on brain development. Then let's load-up the various parasites and diseases to which Africans are exposed, and Europeans are not and I have a sneaky suspicion that the differences will largely disappear.

Concerning the "Bell Curve" thing, the gentleman was right in that the means of IQ's are different between races. However, there are two huge problems with that. First, the differences in means and variances between races are not statistically significant when controlled for the above-mentioned factors. Second, the very concept of "race" in humans is not statistically valid. In other words, the variances within a given race are equal to the variances between races. The bell curves overlap such that there is no statistical difference.

Having said all of that, I think the pronouncements about racial differences, especially considering the extraordinary interbreeding that's been going on for the past 3 centuries, that the presumed differences will be increasingly an anachronism of race consciousness that itself will disappear in a few more generations.

Finally, it is damned impolite. WTF would anybody think it's a good idea to stir that particular pot. Haven't we enough problems in society already?

B