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Subject: psyc.00.11.009.intelligence-g-factor.25.jensen (93 lines)
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psycoloquy.00.11.009.intelligence-g-factor.25.jensen Mon Jan 24 2000
ISSN 1055-0143 (3 paragraphs, 5 references, 93 lines)
PSYCOLOQUY is sponsored by the American Psychological Association (APA)
Copyright 2000 Arthur R Jensen
NAME-CALLING IS A DISAPPOINTING SUBSTITUTE FOR REAL CRITICISM
Reply to Brace on Jensen on Intelligence-g-Factor
Arthur R. Jensen
Educational Psychology
School of Education
University of California
Berkeley, CA 94720-1670
nesnejanda@aol.com
ABSTRACT: Brace's ad hominem criticism and nihilistic stance
regarding key concepts in my book (Jensen 1998, 1999), particularly
the g factor and race, as I have carefully defined these terms, can
serve only one useful purpose: It gives present-day readers a view
of one of the remote outposts of the 1970's style of attack by the
ideologically committed opponents of my position 30 years ago.
1. Way back in 1972, at the Davis campus of the University of
California, I was having lunch with the evolutionary geneticist
Theodosius Dobzhansky. He had invited me to come to Davis and discuss
the manuscript of my book Educability and Group Differences (Jensen,
1973), on which I had solicited his comments. (He was a respectful and
friendly critic.) On that same day, the campus newspaper gave notice of
a speech to be delivered by one of the leading figures in the
Creationist crusade that aimed to banish Darwin from the biology
textbooks used in California high schools. The article also stated that
this Biblical Fundamentalist had challenged Dobzhansky (who was then
the world's foremost expert on the genetic theory of evolution) to a
debate on Creationism, and that Dobzhansky had declined the offer. I
asked him why. He said he had long since reached the conclusion that
any argument between persons who were not in at least ninety percent
agreement on the issues was a total waste from a scientific standpoint,
although he conceded that a poorly informed audience might find it
entertaining. I have remembered Dobzhansky's wise advice ever since,
but have rarely had occasion to act on it. In reading Brace's review,
however, I deemed it is most appropriate to do so.
2. Brace (1999) seems to have read into my book only his own
preconceptions, claiming that it contained nothing new, besides some
mathematical elaborations on factor analysis, since my 1969 article How
Much Can We Boost IQ and Scholastic Achievement? (Jensen, 1969).
Actually, since 1969 a great many new advances have been made in this
field, and many of them are expounded in my latest book, The g Factor
(Jensen 1998, 1999). (Note how very few of its literature citations,
listed in 35 pages of references, predate 1980.) It would be otiose to
describe specifically all these new developments and discoveries, which
will be easily recognized by those who have kept up with the literature
of behavior genetics, information processing theory, cognitive
neuroscience, the evolutionary genetics of populations, transracial
adoption studies, and various subsidiary topics. All of these
developments are integral to my book.
3. Authentic criticism is actually something quite different from sheer
invective, which is obviously intended for a different purpose. I think
that, as Dobzhansky advised, it would be pointless for me to argue the
issues in my book point-by-point with one who even dismisses the g
factor as a mere artifact, holds that race is purely a social
construct, misrepresents and caricatures central concepts in my book,
disapproves of virtually everything I have written in the past 30
years, and ends up calling me a racist and a bigot. Those who read the
book without prejudice will readily find that the few substantive
points in Brace's ill-conceived critique have already been clearly
dealt with in my book.
REFERENCES
Brace, E.L. (1999). Racialism, Racism, and the Bigot Brigade.
PSYCOLOQUY 10(62)
ftp://ftp.princeton.edu/pub/harnad/Psycoloquy/1999.volume.10/
psyc.99.10.062.intelligence-g-factor.11.brace
http://www.cogsci.soton.ac.uk/cgi/psyc/newpsy?10.62
Jensen, A.R. (1969). How much can we boost IQ and scholastic
achievement? Harvard Educational Review 19: 1-123.
Jensen, A.R. (1973). Educability and group differences. London:
Methuen.
Jensen, A.R. (1998). The g factor: The science of mental ability.
Westport, CT: Praeger.
Jensen, A.R. (1999). Precis of: The g Factor: The Science of Mental
Ability PSYCOLOQUY 10(23).
ftp://ftp.princeton.edu/pub/harnad/Psycoloquy/1999.volume.10/
psyc.99.10.023.intelligence-g-factor.1.jensen
http://www.cogsci.soton.ac.uk/cgi/psyc/newpsy?10.23
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