Here is the opening to Chapter 13: Ethnic Differences in Cognitive Ability

"Despite the forbidding air that envelopes the topic, ethnic differences in cognitive ability are neither surprising nor in doubt."

This is the first sentence of the chapter, which denotes the author's total resolve. Beyond any doubt they proclaim a difference in ethnic cognitive ability. Logically pondered, rightly so, but so are the differences in individual cognitive ability regardless of race. Again this raises the question of relevance.

The next paragraph attempts to soften the blow on blacks once they read that Asian Americans are supposedly more intellectually gifted than whites. It also informs the white mind to accept the scientific fact that they are not God's intellectual gift to humanity. But in the third paragraph they dive right into another supposed fact saying, "The difference in test scores between African-Americans and European-Americans as measured in dozens of reputable studies has converged on approximately a one standard deviation difference for several decades."

In other words, though Blacks are not far behind whites in intellect, they cannot by any means prove that Blacks are, or will ever be, more intelligent than whites. Sorry, but no way, even after "dozens of reputable studies." We interpret this to mean that we [blacks] and everyone else including Asians may as well accept our lot in the intellectual sphere of being. Asians first, then whites, and then Blacks. This is the order in which science has placed the tri-color human spectrum based on intelligence, and who are we to argue with science, or God for that matter.

The authors also wanted so very much, it seemed, to incorporate genetics into the study to prove that by nature Blacks are inferior to whites. Throughout the entire chapter and beyond, they try very hard not to publish this theory as fact but instead imply that it would be foolish not to think that genetics has something to do with intelligence. The real fact here is that if the authors had enough scientifically engineered data to show that Blacks were genetically inferior, they would have published it with the quickness. So they implied it many times throughout the section on ethnic intelligence ingeniously cautioning the reader not to assume genetics play a true role so do not place too much confidence in the theory. The actual scientific data is enough right now to prove their superiority to Blacks so accept that.

In fact, toward the end of the chapter the authors write, In any case, you are not going to learn tomorrow that all the cognitive differences between races are 100 percent genetic in origin, because the scientific state of knowledge, unfinished as it is, already gives ample evidence that environment is part of the story. But the evidence eventually may become unequivocal that genes are also part of the story. We are worried that the elite wisdom on this issue, for years almost hysterically in denial about that possibility, will snap too far in the other direction. It is possible to face all the facts on ethnic and race differences in intelligence and not run screaming from the room. That is the essential message."

The latter regenerates the former paragraph alluding to the promise by the authors to their readers that someday science will prove that genetics play a major part in intelligence along with environmental and social factors. This would be something to hear and see. However, the authors warn the readers that if and when that day comes, not to run out of the room overjoyed and screaming Hallelujah because it has now been proven that Blacks are by nature intellectually inferior to whites. Give our scientist a few more years and they will concoct a serum that will make this so.

How can any race of people defend themselves against a culture so advanced in intelligence as the West? How can an entire race of people refute such absolute scientific discovery in the light of such moral purity, innocence, and the gift of unmarked writing and printing? Thus the message of the book is for society to accept this theory and afterward devise a plan to accommodate the lopsidedness of America's social - ethnic intellectual imbalance.

The authors are also worried that the elite wisdom - meaning scholars like themselves and other highly intellectually gifted whites - may take this study the wrong way by going out and enforcing their IQ power over the less intelligent - meaning Blacks. They are afraid that some people who may not be equipped morally will misuse this gift of intellect and the underlings may misinterpret their behavior as being arrogant and totalitarian. God forbid Blacks end up thinking that whites would take this study to heart and begin practicing ways to mentally deceive them and use tactics of cultural philosophy of the West against them. God forbid whites begin to write words that Blacks cannot understand and make those words into laws that are used primarily to thwart Black advancement and that confuse the Black mind into thinking one thing when they should be thinking another, which is not in essence what it would appear to be. No way.

What would happen if the whites that are deemed intellectually superior to Blacks start doing these things? It would mean that these people are not superior intellectually at all, but are actually intellectually dense and morally bleak. What would happen if the less intelligent Blacks believed that what this study says is true and take offense to it, which would naturally draw anger. This would mean that they could not handle the truth and if this is the case then they are incapable of intellectually reasoning candidly and lack the ability of accepting the authenticity of a tautology. So this would definitely narrow the sphere of true intellectuals.

What about the whites that have accepted this study yet are wise enough to play it out compassionately. This would make them demoralize Blacks. One cannot possibly be exercising intelligence while practicing demoralization of another human being. This would mean they have allowed a fictitious truth to shape their intellect thus blindly responding to life and to the people in it in a falsified ethical - not to mention emotional - state of delusion. In other words, once a person believes a lie and allows that lie to govern how they treat others, their entire being is based on a lie, which in turn makes them a bonafied hypocrite.

So when the real intelligent people are siphoned out, we are left with people who question the relevance of the study as a whole once again. They are the ones who are, on the one hand, offended not because it makes them angry or because of the arrogance of the believers, but because they realize that the study is nothing more than a sad attempt to elevate racism and section off certain people particularly based on ethnicity. And on the other end of the spectrum, those who are complemented by the study realize the same. This once again puts the authors and their believers in a position to answer for the relevance of the study.

Now to speak on the tautology of this study, the authors used what is known in the science of logic as a truth table. A tautology is nothing more than a complex concept twisted and turned to say one thing and one thing only. After deciphering through all the truths and false of the concept, anyone with a bit of common sense - not logical sense - would question the entire process for its relevance. In other words, why say the same thing using many words when the initial idea can be conveyed in just a few words. For example, consider the following thought:

It is not the truth that genetics are a major factor in intelligence or environment plays a key role; however, this is true if and only if, if intelligence is based on environment more than genetics, then whites are more intelligent than Blacks.

This statement could be changed around three or four different ways and still come out to be true because it is based on a theory of logic that cannot be refuted. Regardless of what the contents of the statement is logic has its own rules. To further prove this, the statement could be one of total idiocy such as:

It is not the case that the sun is made of purple haze or the moon is shaped like a pear; however, this is true if and only if, if a pear is designed to grow into a moon, then purple haze should turn out to be the sun.

This statement would be considered true also if calculated in a truth table based on a tautology. A tautology is a compound statement that is true for any combination of truth-values of the variables in the statement. Depending on the arrangement of the connectors of any two compound statements being and, or, if and only if, and if -then logic, a theory could be devised and published as true beyond dispute. This is what the authors did when writing the Bell Curve.

They used logic to validate their theory. Not to say that logic is not an effective form of validation, but when used to prove a point only in the interest of one opinion it could be abused and tainted to impose a lie. Huge assumptions and generalizations are definitely at play in this study, not to mention a grave desire to undermine Blacks. Anyone could devise a theory to make it seem true using math, logic, and statistics. Contrary to popular belief that the above variables are so deemed indisputable, Western philosophy is not a means to an end where intelligence is concerned.

This is true because logic and intelligence is only one aspect of human development. If intelligence is not in agreement with morality and or dignity then it is only measurable to a point. Thus, neither whites nor Blacks can be accurately measured for intelligence when the moral state of Western culture is in decline. This Intelligence Quotient theory, in fact, is a result of a decline in moral capacity in itself. If and when man has come to the point where they go to extremes to prove a point of menial relevance, one which only seeks to soothe the ego of totalitarian conspiracies, then the social culture as we know it has dropped to its lowest.

One last word before we close. Notice that we have not actually attempted to deny that the findings are in fact false, but we have rebuked it based on whether or not the study was even relevant. The authors may have proven scientifically that Blacks are at a lower level of intelligence than whites and accomplished what they set out to do, which was to exalt themselves above the Black race concerning the ability to think and reason. And they may be able to back their theories with data from continual test scores that show Blacks failing more often than whites. However, we want to pose another theory that we feel should be considered by the brilliant minds of our believing white counterparts. (Not that we even expect to gain a moment of reflection from higher powers).

What is expected of a race of people held in bondage over four-hundred years, taught the values, traditions, and language of a whole different race, had drummed into their minds over and over that they were inferior, incapable, even equivalent to animals, in addition to being taunted, ridiculed, terrorized, undermined, hindered from areas of social, economical, political, and basically living advancements. Even to this day and because of publications like the Bell Curve, Blacks are subject to demoralization at the hands of immoral, yet supposedly intelligent, whites.

What is expected is a people who will forever deeply resent their oppressor yet continue to strive and do what it takes to survive in a land desperate to under develop them. Intelligence is an individual thing and should not be a group thing. Like morality, it is based on ones own ability to grow and develop into what the Creator fashioned him or her to be. Afromerica would like to thank those who have patiently read this study and we hope that you have gained some knowledge into the minds of whites and into the minds of Blacks; one of who wrote this evaluation of the Bell Curve.

© 2003 by C.R. Hamilton

Submit an article
Join the Mailing List
Join a Discussion

Afromerica: Where its all Black & white and some gray areas.

[TOP]     [BACK TO INTELLIGENCE]