James Watson, who once said re eugenics: "People say it would be terrible if we made all girls pretty. I think it would be great."

by Kevin Alfred Strom

(sent to the Economist last November 10th but not published)

SIR:  THE AUTHOR of ‘The Nature of Nurture‘ deserves to be fired on the grounds of scientific illiteracy and an egregious lack of journalistic integrity.

He unjustifiably insults James Watson, the co-discoverer of the DNA double helix, as ‘stupid’ for making the incontrovertibly true assertion that the average intelligence level of Africans differs from that of Europeans. Decades of scientific tests confirm that fact, and it is simply not in dispute.

The major human races differ in average intelligence as well as in many other characteristics — and it would indeed be astonishing if they did not, considering that they have evolved along unique paths for thousands of generations.

Just because one of the lamentable effects of modern economic theories and quasi-religious belief systems is the gradual elimination of this precious human biodiversity through mixing is no reason for pretending it doesn’t exist — or for punishing truth-tellers like Dr. Watson. Economic determinists and equalitarians, the bell tolls for thee.

Sincerely,

Kevin Alfred Strom.