[PREV - BACK_TO_CENTER]    [TOP]

RISING_QUESTION

                                         January 8, 2010

An issue discussed in

    "Eight Preposterous Propositions" (2005)
    by Robert Ehrlich
                                           [ref]

It turns out that the common
notion that we're all getting
stupider is hard to support.

The supposed breeding advantage of the
lower classes just isn't likely to have
that strong an effect on intelligence,         No "Marching
given the weak linkage between genes           Morons", thanks.
and brains, and the loose correlation
between the classes of low and dumb.

   The famed drop in SAT scores isn't
   reflected in PSATs: evidentally it
   was a one-time drop, the result of
   democratization of college educations.


And meanwhile, there's a rise in IQs going on...
it's a steady, long-standing, and *huge* upward     "The Flynn Effect"
trend that's so big it's difficult to believe
(is your generation genius-level compared to the
last?)  and yet it's hard to explain away as
some sort of artifact of the tests.
                                                     Could it be that we, as
                                                     individuals are getting
                                                     smarter, but collectively
                                                     we're getting dumber?

                                                           MEDIA_BLAME

--------
[NEXT - GRINDING_HEADS]