there is no firm reason to anticipate that the intellectual capacities of peoples geographically separated in their evolution should prove to have evolved identically. Our wanting to reserve equal powers of reason as some universal heritage of humanity will not be enough to make it so.Big Wowo:
“Well, if we tested people across different populations, I really doubt you’d get equal results! You’re just afraid to test!”
Indeed, it’s impossible to test across different populations fairly, as one would have to compare populations of equal wealth, education, etc. But even if it were possible…few people think that the results would be equal. If I compared population heights, vertical jumps, IQ, bowling scores, head sizes, or whatever, it’s highly unlikely that I’d get the exact same results. It’s a strawman
At least I think BigWowo is responding to James Watson. I have never argued this before and I am not exactly sure what his point is here. He seems to now agree with me that equality would be a highly unlikely outcome in any event. I have been pointing this out to him over and over again and he would shoot back with the idea that equality is the most desirable outcome and therefore should the burden of proof should be placed on those who claim inequality. No one has suggested that anyone is afraid to test--Africans have been tested and their IQs have been found to be significantly lower in Africa. Yeah, it's a strawman, and this is probably the first time I've seen someone fail to destroy their own strawman.
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