Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!cornell!uw-beaver!ubc-cs!grads.cs.ubc.ca!leblanc
From: leblanc@grads.cs.ubc.ca (David LeBlanc)
Newsgroups: comp.ai
Subject: Re: Intelligence (was: IQ), Categorization (was: Racism)
Message-ID: <4564@ubc-cs.UUCP>
Date: 26 Jul 89 23:07:49 GMT
References: <3549@csd4.milw.wisc.edu> <4431@uhccux.uhcc.hawaii.edu> <3558@csd4.milw.wisc.edu>
Sender: news@cs.ubc.ca
Reply-To: leblanc@grads.cs.ubc.ca (David LeBlanc)
Organization: UBC Department of Computer Science, Vancouver, B.C., Canada
Lines: 31

In article <3558@csd4.milw.wisc.edu> markh@csd4.milw.wisc.edu (Mark William Hopkins) writes:
#
#     There is nothing that IQ tests measure that is built into the 
#architecture of our brain in such a way as to remain static throughout our 
#lives.  It is all learnable and teachable.  

Hmmm. IQ tests do measure language ability. Language ability is based on
the inate parser everyone is born with. So, I'd say you're wrong.

#That degree of abstraction in 
#our knowledge and in our ability to learn *is* what characterizes human 
#intelligence.

I'm not touching this with a 3 meter pole.

#     To assert that IQ is genetic is dangerously wrong for precisely that
#reason, that it denies us our human endowment.

True. But to say that everyone is born with the same abilities is probably
just as wrong.

#     Now does that make things clear?  

Not at all.

#That is all I care to say on the topic.

Too bad. Maybe someone would like to continue the subject.

David LeBlanc
"Holy bat droppings. Somebody's talking about my area of research!"