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On Ethnicity and intelligence- The case of Ashkenazi Jews
The Economist ^ | 02 june 2005 | The Economist

Posted on 06/02/2005 4:00:59 PM PDT by voletti

THE idea that some ethnic groups may, on average, be more intelligent than others is one of those hypotheses that dare not speak its name. But Gregory Cochran, a noted scientific iconoclast, is prepared to say it anyway. He is that rare bird, a scientist who works independently of any institution. Even he, however, might tremble at the thought of what he is about to do. Together with Jason Hardy and Henry Harpending, of the University of Utah, he is publishing, in a forthcoming edition of the Journal of Biosocial Science, a paper which not only suggests that one group of humanity is more intelligent than the others, but explains the process that has brought this about. The group in question are Ashkenazi Jews. The process is natural selection. Ashkenazim generally do well in IQ tests, scoring 12-15 points above the mean value of 100, and have contributed disproportionately to the intellectual and cultural life of the West, as the careers of Freud, Einstein and Mahler, pictured above, affirm. They also suffer more often than most people from a number of nasty genetic diseases, such as Tay-Sachs and breast cancer. These facts, however, have previously been thought unrelated. The former has been put down to social effects, such as a strong tradition of valuing education. The latter was seen as a consequence of genetic isolation. Even now, Ashkenazim tend to marry among themselves. In the past they did so almost exclusively.

(Excerpt) Read more at economist.com ...


TOPICS: Culture/Society
KEYWORDS: europeanjews
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To: Reeses
Off subject but I'm curious why you like basketball. What makes it entertaining?

Actually, my viewing is pretty much limited these days to playoff and championship games. But, sports have always been a part of my life and the camaraderie, and swapping of lies from time to time is still fun. I probably do it to have a common bond with sons and grandsons as much as any other reason.

Bragging about intelligence or any other ability doesn't offer many benefits

You are right of course. But when the topic is specifically brought up I just can't let the bell curve deniers get away with their silly, nicey-nice, Kum Ba Yah nonsense .... the basis for affirmative action and other such codswallop.

141 posted on 06/03/2005 4:11:31 AM PDT by iconoclast (Conservative, not partisan.)
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To: Reeses

It's an understandable misconception that "the Chosen People" means that Jews are singled out as better or nobler than other people. I think every religion has this fundamental arrogance at its heart that its adherents have found the true way and are doing the right thing, while other people are somehow not doing the right, but Judaism doesn't even quite have that. "The Chosen People" simply means that God has made a pact with the Jews that entails special obligations, like keeping the Sabbath and observing the law. It has nothing to do with the rest of the world. Under the Jewish understanding of the world, non-Jews have a different relationship with God which is not governed by the same rules and obligations.

Even in Biblical times, Jewish history was full of God smiting the Jews for failing to observe the law. Being "chosen" is not the same as being selected for great things.

In any event, I fail to see how this is worse from Christians who are saved believing they are going to heaven while Gandhi is in Hell, or anything that other religions do. If a religion didn't promise itself as the right way, it wouldn't succeed for very long.

Also, it should go without saying that "cardinal sins" are a Catholic (or Christian?) concept.


142 posted on 06/03/2005 4:18:44 AM PDT by HostileTerritory
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To: 68skylark; go-dubya-04; Helms
Are you saying that's a bad thing?

Not to be overly picky, but what do you mean by, "alarming rate"?

Gave yoirself away. Seperatism has hurt Jews and Gentiles alike.

Whoops! My apologies. I meant nothing divisive. I meant alarming in the sense that, if their Jewishness is to continue, then intermarrying may not be helpful. I have no dog to fight and am an admirer of the Jewish people.

However, as a conservative, I realize folks don't think like a group; they're made up of individuals who have their own interests to contend with/advocate. So any Jewish person is free to do as they please. Which is fine by me.

143 posted on 06/03/2005 4:20:48 AM PDT by Alas Babylon!
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To: rmlew

I was always lead to believe that Litvaks, Ashkenazis, Galitziana and Sephardics were simply from different areas---although some think that they are better than others!!! Yeckes and Ostenyidden are new to me. But then, I am far from being a Yiddish scholar!! Duhhhhh, I am, however, a blonde!


144 posted on 06/03/2005 5:33:43 AM PDT by Betteboop
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To: Betteboop
I was always lead to believe that Litvaks, Ashkenazis, Galitziana and Sephardics were simply from different areas---although some think that they are better than others!!! Yeckes and Ostenyidden are new to me. But then, I am far from being a Yiddish scholar!! Duhhhhh, I am, however, a blonde!
Ashkenazi Jews are Jews from Eastern and central Europe. Yecke (German) Litvak (Luthuanian, Latvian, northern Polish) and Galiziene (Galician/Haliz and Polish) are the living varieties of Yiddish.

Sephardim were from Spain, Portugal, and Southern France. They have their own dilects such as Ladino, Judaizmo, Judeao-Arabic.
145 posted on 06/03/2005 11:25:25 AM PDT by rmlew (Copperheads and Peaceniks beware! Sedition is a crime.)
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To: rmlew
Ain't Ignorance Bliss. I suspect MacDonald knows way more of your Tribe than you do. There is no greater deception than self deception. Judaism has been profoundly exclusionary, genetically driven and based too much on victimology for my liking.

If you are relying on your rabbis and the likes of Daniel Goldhagen, these would explain your close-mindedness and lack of understanding.Your song and dance as to Soros is unconvincing. You cannot opt out of being an Ethnic Jew. You can opt out of being a religious Jew.

I am sure our dialectic will continue. Have a good weekend.

146 posted on 06/03/2005 12:57:34 PM PDT by Helms (Multicultural Death by 1000 Cuts is Meant To Destroy America)
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To: voletti

I want to take a look at the study these guys will publish before I give an opinion to ensure that their methodology is sound. However, I will note that most of the Jews I have met are very successful economically. Moreover, I work in the criminal justice system, and I have yet to encounter a Jewish defendant. My wife has to visit Medicaid, unemployment, and Social Security offices quite often as part of her job, and she concurs that there are very few Jews in the waiting rooms. This being said, I am interested to see how the study's authors separate genetic factors from cultural ones.


147 posted on 06/03/2005 1:35:48 PM PDT by hispanichoosier
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To: Helms
Ain't Ignorance Bliss. I suspect MacDonald knows way more of your Tribe than you do. There is no greater deception than self deception. Judaism has been profoundly exclusionary, genetically driven and based too much on victimology for my liking.

Actually, I have written PRof MacDonald on two occasions pointing out some problems with his analysis. He fails to see the diversity within even European Jews and the animosity between Jewish groups. Have you ever seen him talk about the different communal structures of Karaite Jews and Rabbinate (Talmudist) Jews? Does he look at conversion practices of groups? Did he bother to notice the inclusion of clearly non-Semitic Jewish groups like the Karaylar (Tatar Karaites), and Kychaks (Tatar Rabinate Jews)?

Judaism is a particularist Tribal religion. It is quite politically incorrect. Hence the attack on it from Voltaire and Marx ownards.

Your song and dance as to Soros is unconvincing. You cannot opt out of being an Ethnic Jew. You can opt out of being a religious Jew.
Just because one is ethnically Jewish, that does not mean that one is acting in the interst of Jews.

148 posted on 06/03/2005 6:07:17 PM PDT by rmlew (Copperheads and Peaceniks beware! Sedition is a crime.)
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To: ScreamingFist
"I scored over the "genius" mark in 1982, so?"

Nonverbal IQ tests exist. IQ tests are purposefuly written to exclude "culturally imposed" biases. It's a science; it isn't a matter of opinion. It isn't even a matter of *my* opinion.

Whatever you happened to score in 1982 - as you say - is immaterial. It has no bearing on this argument at all.

149 posted on 06/03/2005 6:55:20 PM PDT by Reactionary
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To: lemura; Alouette
Piece of trivia here. The legendary gunfighter, Wyatt Earp was married to a lady named Josie, Nee Markus. She was the daughter of a merchant who was of the Jewish Faith.

Can you imagine the conversations she had with her mom?


And they are buried together in the San Jose, California Jewish Cemetery.
150 posted on 06/03/2005 9:02:00 PM PDT by investigateworld ( God bless Poland for giving the world JP II & a Protestant bump for his Sainthood!)
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To: mikegi

Jews also make up about 50% of world chess champions as per that article. Jews are about 0.1% of the world population.


151 posted on 06/05/2005 8:03:14 PM PDT by Michael2001 (Every man lives, and every man dies, but not every man truly lives)
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To: Helms

Which just goes to support his conclusion of the association of disease and intelligence. Perhaps there is pathology at one end of the intelligence continuum(Marx) as well as health (Rand). That is, if you agree that Laissez-Faire Capitalism is healthy for mankind and Marxism is unhealthy.


152 posted on 06/05/2005 8:23:36 PM PDT by The Westerner
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To: Michael2001
Jews also make up about 50% of world chess champions as per that article. Jews are about 0.1% of the world population.

Asians make up about 99.9% of the world's teppanyaki cooks. Are Asians genetically programmed to cook on a large, metal sheet? Italians make up 99% of the Mafia. Are Italians genetically programmed to run front companies and engage in extortion?

153 posted on 06/06/2005 5:27:32 AM PDT by mikegi
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To: Michael2001

Surely you know that being able to perform at the highest levels of a game which requires exceptional spatial reasoning skills is due solely to environment. If Jews were in a different environment they'd completely flop at chess and instead would be needing affirmative action programs to get into a mid-grade state university due to their poor test scores and inability to succeed on their own.

Yes, I'm being sarcastic! :-)


154 posted on 06/06/2005 6:12:57 AM PDT by puroresu
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Comment #155 Removed by Moderator

To: Shakedown Street

Studies have shown that Hong Kong Chinese is the ethnicity with the highest IQ--above Askenazi Jews.

Unlike Jews, we Asians also excel in athletics.:)


156 posted on 01/16/2006 6:47:32 PM PST by Tevin
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Comment #157 Removed by Moderator


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