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The Nobel Laureate who provoked an international row by apparently claiming that black people are less intelligent than whites left Britain in disgrace yesterday after being suspended from his job.
James Watson, in London to promote a new book, was forced to return to New York after Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Long Island, relieved him of his duties because of his apparent views. It follows a hellish week for the 79-year-old geneticist who helped to unravel the structure of DNA more than 50 years ago.
After being quoted in The Sunday Times saying that he was “inherently gloomy about the prospect of Africa” because “all our social policies are based on the fact that their intelligence is the same as ours – whereas all the testing says not really”, Dr Watson added that he hoped everyone was equal, but that “people who have to deal with black employees find this is not true”.
Yesterday, the prestigious scientific institute where he has worked for 35 years issued a terse statement halting his responsibilities. It will come as a devastating and personal blow to Dr Watson who has served as the laboratory's director and president.
The suspension prompted Dr Watson to cancel a string of speaking engagements in Britain that were meant to take place to promote his book. Yesterday morning, his publicist at Oxford University Press said that he had flown back to the US to “sort out” his job. “He returned to the United States this morning because of circumstances back home at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory,” Kate Farquhar-Thomson said. “He felt that’s where he needed to be.”
The row had escalated when the Science Museum in London cancelled a presentation with Dr Watson. David Lammy, Minister for Skills, claimed that Dr Watson’s views were discredited and would help far-right organisations such as the British National Party.
Dr Watson arrived in Britain on Thursday ready to visit five different venues. That evening, he said he had been “mortified” by the response to the interview. “To all those who have drawn the inference from my words that Africa, as a continent, is somehow genetically inferior, I can only apologise unreservedly,” he said.
“That is not what I meant. More importantly, there is no scientific basis for such a belief.” He went on: “I cannot understand how I could have said what I am quoted as having said. I can certainly understand why people reading those words have reacted in the ways they have.”
A spokesman for The Sunday Timesstood by the interview, adding that it was recorded.
Dr Watson has courted controversy before. Three years ago, he was reported as saying that a woman should have the right to abort her unborn child if tests could determine that it would be homosexual. He has also suggested a link between skin colour and sex drive, proposing a theory that black people have higher libidos, and claimed that beauty could be genetically manufactured.
A number of scientists have dismissed Dr Watson’s comments. Craig Venter, the noted geneticist, said: “Skin colour as a surrogate for race is a social concept, not a scientific one. There is no basis in scientific fact or in the human genetic code for the notion that skin colour will be predictive of intelligence.”
Baroness Greenfield, the neuroscientist and director of the Royal Institution, said: “It is a great shame that someone as distinguished as James Watson should make such comments.”
I'm going to have to leave this thread for others to discuss for the moment, my opinion would be somewhat biased and too contraversial.
Suffice to say, I don't think he is misinformed, a mad scientist or bordering, but I also don't think it would be fair of me to stereotype an entire ethnic group based on facts i've witnessed from personal experience of only a small percentage for this instance.
some people are more intelligent than others,
so what, its life, colour of skin doesnt make any difference on top of that,
I wonder if any actual research has been done into hair colour and inteligence ?
our inteligence isnt just a factor of genes alone,
its a product of genes and our environment,
our genes determine how we respond to the environment.
it may be that black people dont do as well in a white mans environment,
just like white mans skin pigment doesnt allow them to do so well in the
sunnier parts of the world.
Of course its bad to profile a whole ethnic group based on some weird testing, or to stereotype.
However, a lot of this PC nonsense expects us to treat everyone the same, when theyre not the same. Black people rule the burst energy sports, sprints, jumps etc, there are of course some great white atheletes too. Black people are better than white people at numerous things, i dont think its rediculous to say that white people are on average slightly more intelligent.
That said i doubt the real reason is because of skin colour as such and more to do with not fitting as well into white society/schooling, probably on average coming from poorer backgrounds and worse social communities etc.
Black people are immensely good at wearing rediculous coloured clothing and looking cool in it.
Hmmm. I would think black or white, people's capacity to attain are equal.
However, it's probably fair to say that white children get a much better education on average due to so many factors. And black children do have a stronger nudge toward sports and athletics, sometimes possible due to a lack of decent available education.
However the doctor is, especially viewing his other claims, suggesting this difference lies in genetics. He's a genetic scientist and so likely to get carried away with this idea. But personally I don't beleive it to be true. There are plenty...a majority....a horrific majority of whites who are so void of self-actualisation, concept and presence of mind. Let's take the entire south of the USA, for example.
Really, there are too many extranious variables to test this even if you were to undertake an extremely lengthy case study. And whether he is blatently correct or way out of line, there's no way in hell he was going to keep his position after saying that, and he should have been well well aware of that much.
Lets face it though, he could lay down a 1,000,000 page list of genetic proof for that statement and people would still say 'what a load of rubbish, he's a racist!'
I personally dont really beleive its true, genetically, but maybe socially... Either way I dont really care. They have sports, it's only fair we have brains lol.
He has been treated unfairly although he was kind of asking for it, you can't say anything these days without some hairy old lesbian taking offence. Even that probably.
He has been treated unfairly although he was kind of asking for it, you can't say anything these days without some hairy old lesbian taking offence. Even that probably.
When we're born, all we have is our genetics. After that, everything around us helps determine whether we'll rise above (or fall below) the abilities of our parents. Genetics and environment both contribute to who we are. Statistically, Asians are shorter than Caucasians on average; hard to argue that. Good nutrition and clean air help children grow taller and stronger in all cultures. But then we have Yao Ming, who is an exception.
So is it possible, even likely, that genetics are a factor in intellectual strength? Sure, why not. Why would this be the only characteristic that is not affected by genetics?
Was the author an idiot to present his data in this fashion? Absolutely!
it doesnt matter what race you are lol....theres loads to college tutors who teach a level, HND and BTEC in the college im at who are black....theres more black doctors then there is white round here too.....i think its equal.
Thants just a black person choosing to blame his own colour of his own lack of inteligance. I know loads of white people that are say computers are too hard to learn.
Let's start with his actual credentials, shall we? His "discovery" of the structure of DNA is based almost entirely on the work of Rosalind Franklin who did most of the leg work and was on the verge of the discovery herself. Moreover, the statement he made is not scientific or based on scientific data.
This is, incidentally, the guy who said a woman should have the right to abort her baby if tests could determine it was homosexual.
He also came up with this gem: "Whenever you interview fat people, you feel bad, because you know you're not going to hire them".
He even tried to claim that melanin was somehow linked to libido: "That's why you have Latin lovers.. .you've never heard of an English lover. Only an English patient."
Give it up. Study upon study shows IQ differences between races. If I remember correctly, even when socio-economic factors are taken into account the gap remains. Ofcourse, not everyone believes IQ is a good measure of intelligence("there's more than one type of intelligence" and all that), but I believe it's the best measure we got.
In my oppinion, we should just accept that people aren't the same and move on. I don't think the vast majority of people would advocate that blacks shouldn't have the same access to education as everyone else anyway, so what's the big problem?
BTW, wasn't this subject discussed on TF long ago as well? Atleast back then the science was being discussed.
Give it up. Study upon study shows IQ differences between races. If I remember correctly, even when socio-economic factors are taken into account the gap remains. Ofcourse, not everyone believes IQ is a good measure of intelligence("there's more than one type of intelligence" and all that), but I believe it's the best measure we got.
In my oppinion, we should just accept that people aren't the same and move on. I don't think the vast majority of people would advocate that blacks shouldn't have the same access to education as everyone else anyway, so what's the big problem?
BTW, wasn't this subject discussed on TF long ago as well? Atleast back then the science was being discussed.
Really? Which studies are these? I've seen tests that generally prove it both ways. In other words, there is no scientific consensus, and the work is generally inconclusive. I'd love to be proven wrong though.
"black people are less intelligent than whites"
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