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CAN we just wipe away the hypothesis that 'intelligence', together with several other traits, can be a parameter distinguishing different ethnic groups.
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Based on your specific wording here, yes we can. We can't say "Your IQ is 85, you must be black; your IQ is 110, you must be Asian; etc." which would indicate a
distinguishing characteristic. That doesn't mean there cannot be general correlations, however.
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So, Watson himself says there is no scientific basis for the belief he is reported to have expressed.
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Actually, he repudiated the inference that many people took umbrage with. Look at all his recent quotes on the matter, and none of them conflict with "The black race's IQs follow a bell curve distribution with a mean of 95; Whites' IQs follow a similar normal distribution with a mean of 105." (Quote and specific numbers made up by me.) Some people took this to mean all whites are smarter than all blacks, or "Africa, as a continent, is somehow genetically inferior," which is not only not what he said but obviously false to any reasonable person.
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we seem to agree that Watson’s reported pronouncements could have negative consequences ... apartheid policy in South Africa ... gas ovens of the Nazis...
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Yes, even I agree with that, despite seeming to be the only one on Watson's side.