One of my favorite podcasts is Sam Harris' Waking Up. I have known for years that he is controversial for some of his conservative views. But, he really is difficult to pin down politically. That said, there is a major firestorm going on after *he and Ezra Klein debated recently. The topic of controversy was regarding the role of genetics in IQ: Harris supports the significant influence of genetics and Klein does not. What is the truth?
Here are several links presenting research in this area: link; link; link; link; link. In studying the topic, I have come to the conclusion that, if genetics do play a role, it is minor compared to the role of history and environment/culture in which humans evolved. Thus, I do not accept Sam Harris' view of the importance of genetics and IQ.
(*The debate was over the writings of Charles Murray and Richard J. Herrnstein in their book The Bell Curve. This article challenges the sources of its data, and this link to Wikipedia presents more criticism of the book and its findings.)
Human knowledge has progressed exponentially since the dawn of modern science. It is no longer reasonable to accept claims without sufficient objective evidence. The harm from religion, alternatives to medicine, conservatism, and all other false beliefs will be exposed on this blog by reporting the findings of science. This blog will also reinforce what should be the basics of education: History, Civics, Financial Literacy, Media Literacy, and Critical/Science Based Thinking.
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