A study conducted in Germany found that men with higher IQs are less inclined to traditional values, but the lead author, psychologist and intelligence researcher Maximilian Krolo of Saarland University, said the researchers did not find these differences among women.
Caring about IQ is stupid even when it validates your preconceptions.
Disregarding peer reviewed data is even worse I’d argue
I’ll regard it, but I’m not sure what useful conclusions can be drawn from it. This seems like polarization bait that lets left-of-center types feel smug about how much smarter they are than conservatives, and right-of-center types can indulge in a good pity party about how biased those socialist Europeans are against conservatives. Something for everybody, accomplishing nothing. Who gives a fuck about who has the higher IQ? What has it to do with whether a persons actions are just or unjust? Even if we take for granted that IQ is a reasonable measure of intelligence, intelligent people are just as capable of doing terrible, selfish things.
Imagine a scenario where this same study was conducted but it found that conservative men had higher IQs. Same study, same methodological rigor, different result. How would your opinions or beliefs about the world change? Would you be inclined to think that maybe conservatives are perhaps going about things the right way, by virtue of this study? I would hope not. Even if we could measure intelligence, hell, if we could even define intelligence cogently and comprehensively, what impact should that have on our decision making? Are “smarter” people considered more right? Or should statements be evaluated on their individual merits, regardless of the quantified “smartness” of the person who said them?
I think it should be the latter. IQ is at best a curiosity and it should have no place in the evaluation of government or social policy. Thank you for coming to my soapbox harangue.
Well said.