A man in the arena

The letter below was sent to the Times of London. The authors are defending an academic who has been suspended for introducing evidence to his class that there are IQ differences between the races and that this difference is partially a genetic fact. The professor has been duly punished by the administration for his racism.

The evidence is growing that there are differences between different races. This is a very unfortunate thing that runs against the grain of modern Western thought. And it could create serious, and possibly, violent tendencies into multi-ethnic societies.

However, who are we if we are not seeking the truth? Do we ignore a centuries long tradition of honestly inquiring into nature for fear of political pieties? The end of this political war is coming, that is because the tradition abides. Whatever the truth is of these assertions about genetics, someone will find them. That someone will tell the people, and we may come face to face with the yet another brutal truth of human nature.

Racial IQ research

IN CLEAR violation of the tradition of academic freedom, the vice-chancellor of Leeds University has suspended Dr Frank Ellis and instituted disciplinary proceedings against him for presenting the research, published in peer-reviewed academic journals and scholarly books which demonstrates that blacks have, on average, lower IQ scores and poorer academic achievement than do whites

Much solid research also makes it more likely than not that there is a genetic contribution to this (and other) group IQ differences.

Dr Ellis, then, has done no more than restate what has been said for half century by a number of eminent psychologists and anthropologists at leading universities.

These include the late John Baker (Oxford), Hans Eysenck (London), Philip Vernon (London), Richard Herrnstein (Harvard), and Henry Garrett (Columbia).

A number of behavioural scientists, including ourselves, have reached the same conclusion. Others have put much of this on the record. Many more agree but have been reluctant to put this on the record for fear of the kind of intimidation that Dr Ellis is receiving from the University of Leeds.

There is an important and legitimate debate going on on intelligence and genetics, as there is on climate change and foreign policy. It is a sad day when British universities muzzle their academic staff and threaten them with dismissal for taking part in one of these controversies.

Professor Richard Lynn
University of Ulster
Professor Philippe Rushton
University of Western Ontario, Canada
Professor Arthur Jensen
University of California
Dr Charles Murray
American Enterprise Institute, Washington
Christopher Brand
University of Edinburgh (1970-97)
Professor Helmuth Nyborg
Aarhus University, Denmark
Professor Linda Gottfredson
University of Delaware
Professor (Retired) Donald Templer
Alliant International University (1978-2005), Fresno, California

# posted by D. W. Eifert @ 3:25 AM