The Jensen bomb
Sir: Peter J. Smith is mistaken (9 August) in attributing to the antagonists of Dr Jensen unworthy motives. I didn't hear about any man who opposes studies of human heredity on an individual basis, or who denies that individuals differ in their Intelligence, and that some of this d'fference is due to heredity. But it is axiomatic in genetic studies of plants and animals to use only 'genetically pure strains' to establish facts of heredity. In fact the universal oPposition to Lysenko's theories in the USSR Was made on the same basis as opposition to Jensen's theories in the us: that by using a genetically mixed population and employ-
ing arbitrary and malicious categories any theory can be 'proven on the average'.
Race in the us is clearly an arbitrary and malicious category, for people with 95 per cent white ancestry and looks are thrown into 'black' groups and regarded as Negroes. There are hundreds of known hereditary human characteristics (such as blood groups). Every known human group which is 'pure' in one of them--such as colour— is 'mixed' in others. The concept of race as employed by racialists—and Dr Jensen— is based on a 'spiritual' idea that 'a drop of Negro blood' pollutes (or elevates) the 'soul'.
The malice can be shown also by looking at the recommendations of Dr Jensen. It may be that two different ap- proaches in teaching for people differing in intelligence will be necessary—even though I don't think so. But this is not the recom- mendation of racial heredity students. They recommend instead a different system of studies for Negroes based on their supposed
average intelligence. But this is clearly malicious nonsense.
Now there is no doubt that with a suffici- cent amount of malice and cleverness every- thing can be 'explained' on any theory whatsoever. One can explain the flight to the moon on the basis of witchcraft, just as Lutheranism was explained by supposing Luther to be the son of the Devil. During the days of 'Romanism and Rum' Catholics were supposed to he specially prone to delirium tremens, and Jews to reception of stolen goods. Many eminent men supported all those notions. However, those who now — under scientific cover follow in their steps would well bear in mind the saying of Einstein: 'God who is nature is very diffi- cult to know but he is neither arbitrary nor malicious.'
Israel Shahak 2 Bartenura Street, Jerusalem, Israel
Sir: I had always supposed the human qua- lity of intelligence to be something analog-
ous to, say, maturity. That is: those who have it, know that they have it—and know what it is; and those who don't; don't (though some of them think they do). I know that there is something else, called the intelligence quotient, which purports to re- gister a 'scientific measurement' of a per- son's 'intelligence': but I thought that sort of thing was confined to the social sciences, and other areas of the abstract left. Is there a maturity quotient? I don't see why not. I know there is a machine, at fairs, where you hold on to a bar and it measures your sex quotient.
Judge of my astonishment then, at find- ing all this measurement taken seriously in the conservative SPECTATOR by Peter J. Smith (9 August). The a:? of the black races is a serious question, it seems. And so, as a teacher of English Literature at a black university (Makerere), I am now most em- barrassed and perturbed. I used to respond to the presence, or otherwise, of intelligence in a student or colleague, by attending, for instance, to what he wrote, and the way he wrote it; alternatively, on social occasions, by listening to what he said—while watching his eyes, hands, vital movements, and so forth. But now! What—the Professol. of Political Science 2.6 points lower than a low-status white? The possibility is very disturbing. As long as these differences are, in Dr Smith's own words, 'not yet proven satisfactorily,' I simply don't know how to behave. How many of my African col- leagues, for instance might rank in the 'top 2 per cent' on the 'IQ scale?' How many of them might qualify thus for membership of Mensa—that organisation of measured Intelligences whose impact on the intellec- tual life of the twentieth century_ has been so incalculable? Really, while Africa is under suspended judgment, I don't know how I should respond, either, to the every- day life of that continent. Are the drummers then dull? Are the fishermen foolish? How obtuse is the filigree of the goldsmith?
Sir, this 'problem', these 'discussions', are a farrago of balderdash. Man is a created being. All groups of men share in that createdness, showing all potentialities, in all directions. Dr Jensen, with his 'four hun- dred papers, books ,,and articles'..ipight as well give his attention to flying saugfm....or to the authorship of Shakespeare. A*er all, those matters too, are 'not yet proven satisfactorily.'
M. M. Carlin 17 Pentlands Close, Cambridge
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