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Renown DNA Scientist and Nobel Peace Prize winner sparks controversy in remarks claiming Black people are not as intelligent as white people. Dr. Watson made no such claims in the article, of any DNA test findings, linking genetics to intelligence in the ABC news article.
http://blogs.abcnews.com/scien ceandsociety/2007/10/james-wat son-dn.html
This article was quoted from the Times Article listed here.
http://entertainment.timesonli ne.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertai nment/books/article2630748.ece
Though an outspoken, and sometimes controversial figure, insensitive remarks are not out of character for him. In 2000, Dr Watson left an audience reeling by suggesting a link between skin color and sex drive, hypothesizing that dark-skinned people have stronger libidos.
An apparent hot button topic as one can imagine.
He was also once accused of being sexist for remarks made towards women, yet some come to his defence. "Nothing should stop you from ascertaining the scientific truth; science must be free of concerns about gender and race", says Susan Greenfield. When Dr Watson had posed some of the questions considered controversial back in the nineties.
The incident which sparked this controversy, was Dr. Watson expressing his concern for the people in Africa, he was "inherently gloomy about the prospect of Africa," because, "all our social policies are based on the fact that their intelligence is the same as ours, whereas all the testing says not really." Dr. Watson was referring to tests we have to date, sociological, IQ etc.
Later in the same article, he was asked when the technology would exist to test the genetic truth on the subject, his "back-of-the-envelope answer" was 15 years, however, he wonders if even 10 years will pass.
He says, his personal position on race is, "You should not discriminate on the basis of color, because there are many people of color who are very talented, but don't promote them when they haven't succeeded at the lower level".
Expect to have the answer to the genetics, intelligence and race question in eight to ten years according to Dr Watson. Race relations are the same all over the world. We are all dealing with it, although I am not a geneticist, I will offer a prediction.
When someone actually comes up with an accepted definition of intelligence, and the science exists to answer the question, we will still all live in the same world, experiencing the same bigotry because it is the way we are taught. What Watson did here was ignite a new flame, but when people realize that he was not speaking of genetic research and simply his own observances, the fuel will be taken away from the fire.
There will be no distinguishable difference in the genetic disposition or predisposition to lower or higher intelligence levels based on race. This is my prediction. My faith has been restored in the integrity of the man behind the science.
I don't care about anyone's personal views, quirks, likes or dislikes, we all have the right to think and believe how we may, as long as the science remains untinted.
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The genetics of intelligence and race: Nobel Prize winner James Watson sets back race relations
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