Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

To: chaos_5

Ah, but that is the problem with these explanations -

Why do Indians and Japanese and Chinese and Jews and etc. take education so seriously, and how can you transfer this spark of motivation ? What specific acts and thoughts must be changed, in detail and repeatedly, to make other groups act as Chinese or Jews ?

Plenty of high-performing groups are rooted in a survival-oriented past, and still managed to outperform others. Most wealthy overseas Chinese, for instance, were starving coolie laborers two generations ago; Japanese peasants lived in a Malthusian feudal society, as did Russian Jews, etc. Few were richer than Mexican peasants, on the whole, back in 1900.

All I’m saying is that if there is a remedy here somewhere, a social-engineering formula or a drug or a surgical intervention, anything that can even just make up the difference, it would be of literally incalculable value.


20 posted on 10/01/2007 8:05:07 PM PDT by buwaya
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 11 | View Replies ]


To: buwaya
You make some good points. I think it would take a good deal of research, and more than just a paragraph in a forum, to really answer the questions asked .

Just a thought on the value of “fixing” the under education problem.

It may very well serve the best interests of those who wield the sword of power to have an unmotivated and ignorant populous. Given this, I don't think there is much value to a cure, other than the value of suppressing it.

24 posted on 10/01/2007 8:24:23 PM PDT by chaos_5
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 20 | View Replies ]

To: buwaya
All I’m saying is that if there is a remedy here somewhere, a social-engineering formula or a drug or a surgical intervention, anything that can even just make up the difference, it would be of literally incalculable value.

As would a means of enhancing the difference (i.e. enhancing intelligence). This would be particularly true (the value of it) with people who are already highly intelligent - moving some of them into the genius class (where most of the Nobel Prize scientists reside) would dramatically enhance our understanding of science and dramatically improve our ability to solve "insolvable" problems.

27 posted on 10/01/2007 9:06:00 PM PDT by Ancesthntr
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 20 | View Replies ]

To: buwaya
what if Russian Jews, Chinese expat merchants (who weren’t coolies just 2 generations ago by my estimate), Japanese peasants, Indian expats ..all these now known to be fairly successful business groups were not already more genetically predisposed and just waiting for the opportunity...as opposed to some other groups?

there is no evidence that is not the case.

culture and race or even more tightly defined beyond race as specific ethnicities easily becomes chicken and egg circular...which is a product of which...and what about geographic isolation...and if groups have distinct physical differences then why not differing IQ aggregates....there is plenty of data to support that

likewise, I have known all my life that poverty may make achievement harder but is no rationale for culture implosion.

my own ancestors were utterly destroyed and hungry, destitute and broken after the Civil War and during Reconstruction but they never became predators nor embraced serial illegitimacy....never....it took two to four generations to recover the wealth that was lost but they never disintegrated and went feral culturally

to believe that IQ and achievement are cultural driven alone mostly is wishful thinking....even Sowelll knows this and has stated as such

29 posted on 10/01/2007 11:23:37 PM PDT by wardaddy (if God is your co-pilot, you need to switch seats)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 20 | View Replies ]

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article


FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson