[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Is intelligence hereditary? (Page 1 of 4)
Posted: 3/19/2012 6:02:38 PM EDT
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It would make a lot of sense if it was. |
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I think it is genetic.
We read a lot about the "education process" teaching people to think. I call bullshit! If you don't know how to reason, nobody can teach you. The corollary to that is........... If you are born stupid, you will die stupid! Ain't anabody goin' to "make you smart." |
Raw mental processing power is just a part of success. Yes, it is mostly hereditary. No, you are not screwed if you don't have it...you just might have tattoos, child support payments, be in prison, have a record, confuse "they're, there, and their", and have an inclination toward purchasing the Taurus Judge.  |
| Both of my parents had/have genius level IQs, and my mother has a learning disability. I have been tested at the genius level, and my sister may well be at that level as well - not sure of she has ever been tested. My sister has a learning disability, same as my mother. Not positive if there is a hereditary relationship, but I think there may well be. I also believe that nurturing plays a role. My 4th grade teacher thought I was stupid, and wanted to hold me back. My mother had me tested, and put me in Catholic school. I flourished after that. Turns out I was bored to tears. I remember 4th grade teacher scolding me for not being able to answer whether a particular country was in the East or West, and I told her that was impossible to answer without a point of reference. East or West of WHAT? Where we were, the International Date Line? She thought I was being defiant, I thought she was being myopic. And yes, I knew what myopic meant in the 4th grade. I'm not sure Mrs. Swan could define the word however. |
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It would make a lot of sense if it was. Its both hereditary and enhanced. One can start out with an advantage and then if they decide to not work towards it they won't have any advantage. Most of this work should be put in during younger years. For example when I little I read like crazy. My family read to me when I was a baby and infant. In the 3rd grade my reading level was something like 9th grade and I would win all the accelerated reading trophies (won $50 on 3 different occasions). I never focused on math as I liked reading better and was good with it. As a result my math skills aren't where they "should" be, but my reading and writing skills (outside of ARFCOM) are pretty decent. |
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Intelligence is for the most part environmental. Proof that you may have dumb parents |
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Intelligence is for the most part environmental. My father says "you can't make a racehorse out of a mule" . For the most part he is right. You can take someone with an IQ of 50, put them in the most prestigious schools money can buy , and the still won't be able to be a doctor It is mostly genetic. |
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Intelligence is for the most part environmental. My father says "you can't make a racehorse out of a mule" . For the most part he is right. You can take someone with an IQ of 50, put them in the most prestigious schools money can buy , and the still won't be able to be a doctor It is mostly genetic. If however you educate that low IQ guy, his kids, grandkids etc...in time his offspring will become smarter. So short term, your father was right, but long term he was wrong. |
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Numerous twin studies seem to indicate that intelligence as commonly measured is highly heritable - so much so that the findings raise some uncomfortable questions about the ultimate effects of domestic social programs and third world development.
Heredity sets the maximum, and environment determines if it is possible for an individual to achieve that biological maximum; on top of that, the individual determines if he or she will take advantage of the opportunities provided by heredity and environment. However, the degree of heritability and the high displayed coefficient of determination indicates that biology is a far, far greater determinant than environment. However such observations, regardless of how objective or accurate, ultimately call into question some of the cherished illusions that we cling to. The majority of people in the west are simply not ready, willing, or able to balance the cherished concept of egalitarianism against the harsh realities of nature. |
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Intelligence is for the most part environmental. My father says "you can't make a racehorse out of a mule" . For the most part he is right. You can take someone with an IQ of 50, put them in the most prestigious schools money can buy , and the still won't be able to be a doctor It is mostly genetic. If however you educate that low IQ guy, his kids, grandkids etc...in time his offspring will become smarter. So short term, your father was right, but long term he was wrong. The short term in this case could accurately be said to be thousands of years. Further, your assumption would only be accurate if intelligence was actually a trait that was selected for, a condition that is obviously not the case in western nations today. Have you ever bred animals? You're not going to get a more capable and intelligent working dog just by training every generation of pups; you're only going to get a more intelligent specimen if you selectively breed for that trait. Training is immaterial without selecting the most capable individuals and ensuring that they breed at a preferential rate. You could train 100 generations of canine exactly the same way, and without selecting the animals that most successfully completed the training for use as future breeding stock you're not actually going to see a shift in the breed's overall performance. A lot of selection goes into creating a capable breed of working dog; you're just not going to get results by training alone. |
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50% is hereditary and 50% is environmental, most scientists say. Even how you cross your arms is hereditary, you think intelligence is not? Remember in nature if you don't use it, you lose it, after multiple generations this will be a trend. Reverse Lamarckianism? Cool! |
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Intelligence is for the most part environmental. My father says "you can't make a racehorse out of a mule" . For the most part he is right. You can take someone with an IQ of 50, put them in the most prestigious schools money can buy , and the still won't be able to be a doctor It is mostly genetic. If however you educate that low IQ guy, his kids, grandkids etc...in time his offspring will become smarter. So short term, your father was right, but long term he was wrong. Um, what you are describing is the tendency for offspring to regress to the mean, not education "making people smarter". |
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First, you have to define what you mean by 'intelligence' since that means many things to many people.
Then you have to consider that people who have a particular ability may tend to find partners who are able to appreciate that (and share in it) They will then be likely to encourage their kids in the same way. I think it's a combination of heredity and upbringing and that both will tend to favor intelligence in kids from those couples. The same thing seems to happen with other talents (I think intelligence is a talent) such as acting, music, mechanical ability, etc. There are so many things that constitute intelligence that it isn't like there's a 'smart gene', but a collection of heritable traits, I think. |
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No, it doesn't work like that. At best this is grossly oversimplified and missing several key concepts. At best it is just retarded. Lamarck was wrong. ETA: My family has never "used" hazel eyes, yet the trait has persisted. I thought giraffes gained longer necks because they were always straining for the top branches.... 
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My parents were both Geniuses, and I am as well, as is my son
But, I has some sisters who clearly are not in the same category. I think it requires the foundation of genetics. The desire to learn is what helps some to develop their minds. But It is not all peaches and cream. Many Geniuses struggle in other areas, Spelling and Grammar are very hard for me. But other things I can just look at and see the answer. My Dad could not grasp electronics, so I had to explain it in fluid terms. (An amplifier is a boot pump, a diode a check valve, etc). |
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No, it doesn't work like that. At best this is grossly oversimplified and missing several key concepts. At best it is just retarded. Lamarck was wrong. ETA: My family has never "used" hazel eyes, yet the trait has persisted. Hazel eyes will not feed you, learning how to capture food will. People pass on successes to their children to get an edge. Life is simple. |
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No. It is, via correct parenting, an attainable goal that anyone can strive for. I have a Masters degree, so do both my parents. It is all about motivation, IMHO. No, that can help someone of average intelligence gain success, but it does not bestow any extra smarts. I know people with masters degrees that do not strike me as being much above average, but they are all very motivated folks. I know people with neck tats and prison records that are extremely intelligent. We are born with the tools, our environment shapes them to a particular job. |
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Quoted: Quoted: Intelligence is for the most part environmental. Really? All those scientific studies must be wrong then. Be careful with what you call a "scientific" study. Darwinism itself predicates intelligence on environmental stimuli. And more often than not "hereditary" claims have more to do with income levels than actual genetic factors. |