Right Thinkers dumber then Left Thinkers

**puddytat** · 31st January 2012, 11:36

Originally Posted by MisterD

Isn't that like saying that there's no genetic link to strength and speed and that the only thing proven to raise your strength is lifting weights in the gym?

No,there is a genetic link to strength & speed which can be enhanced with training, but with intelligence there is no Gene responsible for it & its enviromental circumstances that affect a persons intelligence,not the breeding. Eugenics dont come into it at all.
I find it fascinating that there is no gene associated with the one thing that really seperates us from the natural world.

Also studies on brain size showed that larger brains in some cultures (larger skull size)had no influence on intelligence & in some cases the opposite is true...The Chinese for example, have a smaller average brain mass than Europeans,but have a higher average IQ & this is attributed directly to it being a confucian culture that for generations has placed a cultural onus on education.

**Coolz** · 31st January 2012, 11:57

The real dummies are the ones who vote for the same party all their lives despite the issues. This kind of party loyalty goes back generations in some families and can be found on all sides of the political spectrum. Those who ride bikes only from one country all their lives also fall into this catagory.

**MisterD** · 31st January 2012, 12:01

Originally Posted by puddytat

No,there is a genetic link to strength & speed which can be enhanced with training, but with intelligence there is no Gene responsible for it & its enviromental circumstances that affect a persons intelligence,not the breeding. Eugenics dont come into it at all.

"Eugenics" is a strong word to start bandying around...

I just can't get my head around there not being a genetic link to intelligence - intelligence must be an attribute subject to Natural Selection, like any other. The intelligence of humans is something we've evolved, it must be part of our genetic makeup.

I think it really shows a couple of things, IQ is a pretty ropey measure of intelligence because it requires a level of education to understand what you're being asked and that overall intelligence isn't something that is a major factor in mate selection in western society.

Also, one thing I'd offer as an arguement in favour of a genetic link to intelligence - ever noticed how many really successful men that marry trophy wives have kids incapable of carrying on their work?

**avgas** · 31st January 2012, 12:24

Last time I checked you had to to be stupid to be dumb. How you thought about it was kinda irrelevant.

Don't forget also there are only 2 types of people in the world, those that don't know and those that think they do.

**puddytat** · 31st January 2012, 12:47

Originally Posted by MisterD

"Eugenics" is a strong word to start bandying around...

I just can't get my head around there not being a genetic link to intelligence - intelligence must be an attribute subject to Natural Selection, like any other. The intelligence of humans is something we've evolved, it must be part of our genetic makeup.

I think it really shows a couple of things, IQ is a pretty ropey measure of intelligence because it requires a level of education to understand what you're being asked and that overall intelligence isn't something that is a major factor in mate selection in western society.

Also, one thing I'd offer as an arguement in favour of a genetic link to intelligence - ever noticed how many really successful men that marry trophy wives have kids incapable of carrying on their work?

I agree entirely with all that you are saying, but this doco says otherwise & the man who has in the last 30 years been the figurehead in this research is a certain Dr Flynn from good ole N.Z whose earlier research was using sheep....
Nah , kidding about the sheep,but he is "the Man" on this subject

Maybe its somewhat like any part of the body in that it responds positively to positive stimuli & like wise to negative.

It was on SBS & its available on demand....i cant link because of various social & learning difficulties....

**MisterD** · 31st January 2012, 13:05

Originally Posted by puddytat

I agree entirely with all that you are saying, but this doco says otherwise & the man who has in the last 30 years been the figurehead in this research is a certain Dr Flynn from good ole N.Z whose earlier research was using sheep....
Nah , kidding about the sheep,but he is "the Man" on this subject

Maybe its somewhat like any part of the body in that it responds positively to positive stimuli & like wise to negative.

It was on SBS & its available on demand....i cant link because of various social & learning difficulties....

Oh the wonders of the intermaweb, I've just googled and downloaded a couple of papers to my kindle to read later. Looks interesting.

Aren't we all so precious about mental issues though - you're racist if you think whites are more intelligent than blacks or browns (eh, Mr Hayden?) but not if you think that blacks and browns are stronger and faster than whites; it's easy to talk about physical illness, but mental illness carries a stigma...

I've never read into this stuff before, I was just going on my (very lay) understanding of genetics and evolution, but I was aware that the greatest correlation for educational success was the educational success of one's mother. It'll be interesting to see how the products of that genius spermbank go.

**SMOKEU** · 31st January 2012, 13:56

Originally Posted by Coolz

Those who ride bikes only from one country all their lives also fall into this catagory.

That rule doesn't apply to people who only ever buy Japanese bikes.

**mashman** · 31st January 2012, 15:12

I'm sure someone on here mentioned something about taking some prescribed pills and it being like having a light switched on. For me intelligence is all about the correct pathways being switched on/woken up and making a connection to an undamaged one to complete a circuit allowing a process to take place. Education goes so far to switching the brain on, but if the kid isn't interested then I doubt those pathways will switch on until they're required and as we end up pigeon holed in a job, that may never happen and we end up with a so called non-intelligent person. Some people may not grasp concepts that are easy for others to understand which would point to their brain connections having formed slightly different links, that does not mean the person is stupid/dumb/thick etc... it means they probably know something that plenty of other people don't and we end up with people of differing talents.

If that was linked back to the document and the right wing are more business focussed and left wing more socially focused (which seems to be the case), then I would imagine that there are more questions needing to be asked in regards to social issues than there are in regards to business issues (methodologies, unquestioned ways of doing things), which could tenuously explain why right wing thinkers seem more stupiderer than left wing thinkers... weak perhaps.

**Oscar** · 31st January 2012, 15:43

Originally Posted by mashman

I'm sure someone on here mentioned something about taking some prescribed pills and it being like having a light switched on. For me intelligence is all about the correct pathways being switched on/woken up and making a connection to an undamaged one to complete a circuit allowing a process to take place. Education goes so far to switching the brain on, but if the kid isn't interested then I doubt those pathways will switch on until they're required and as we end up pigeon holed in a job, that may never happen and we end up with a so called non-intelligent person. Some people may not grasp concepts that are easy for others to understand which would point to their brain connections having formed slightly different links, that does not mean the person is stupid/dumb/thick etc... it means they probably know something that plenty of other people don't and we end up with people of differing talents.

If that was linked back to the document and the right wing are more business focussed and left wing more socially focused (which seems to be the case), then I would imagine that there are more questions needing to be asked in regards to social issues than there are in regards to business issues (methodologies, unquestioned ways of doing things), which could tenuously explain why right wing thinkers seem more stupiderer than left wing thinkers... weak perhaps.

The document you linked simply does not back up your initial assertions.
That's pretty stupid, really.
Isn't it?

**mashman** · 31st January 2012, 15:48

Originally Posted by Oscar

The document you linked simply does not back up your initial assertions.
That's pretty stupid, really.
Isn't it?

Does it not?
Not really given that you have not given any context for your statement... that and you didn't grasp the concepts that I was highlighting in the first place.
No.

**Oscar** · 31st January 2012, 16:41

Originally Posted by mashman

Does it not?
Not really given that you have not given any context for your statement... that and you didn't grasp the concepts that I was highlighting in the first place.
No.

You weren't highlighting any concepts.
You said: Right Thinkers dumber then Left Thinkers

Now apart from the obvious grammatical error that made you look somewhat silly, you posted a link to a study.
The study simply does not support your assertion (even mildly contradicting it at one point), so that makes you look even sillier.
The only concept highlighted here is "Mashman is silly".