Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!ucbvax!hplabs!hp-sdd!ucsdhub!dcdwest!benson
From: benson@dcdwest.UUCP (Peter Benson)
Newsgroups: comp.ai
Subject: Re: Intelligence (was: IQ), Categorization (was: Racism)
Message-ID: <504@dcdwest.UUCP>
Date: 27 Jul 89 19:04:52 GMT
References: <3549@csd4.milw.wisc.edu> <4431@uhccux.uhcc.hawaii.edu> <3558@csd4.milw.wisc.edu>
Sender: news@dcdwest.UUCP
Reply-To: benson@dcdwest.UUCP (Peter Benson)
Organization: ITT Defense Communications, San Diego
Lines: 37

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

I have seen studies that note a significant correlation in
IQ between twins raised apart.  If it is all 'learnable and
teachable' then there would be no such correlation.

Our human endowment, I surmise, is the exceptional ability for
humans to learn new things.  In my experience, every human I
have met has that ability, although some are quicker than
others and some have more persistence than others.
I don't know whether the quickness or persistence is innate or
learned.  Were I to hire someone, I would only care about
the end result of these processes.  That is, I would rather
not hire someone who is slow or easily put off, regardless
whether it was a genetic flaw or bad up-bringing.  It's hard
to estimate in a job interview how quick someone is.  If I had
hired his or her twin and HE or SHE had been extraordinarily
quick,  I would be tempted to hire him or her.

P.S. I loved the arguments about the percent of genetic
material we have in common with chimps and the similiar
arguments about how similiar we all are genetically.  How
similiar are large computer programs using these measures?
how similar are different versions of the same program?
Especially the one that has the factor of 2 speed up over
an earlier version by revising one small loop?
-- 
Peter Benson                    | ITT Defense Communications Division
(619)578-3080                   | 10060 Carroll Canyon Road
ucbvax!ucsd!dcdwest!benson      | San Diego, CA 92131
dcdwest!benson@UCSD.EDU         |