Are the races of men equal in intelligence?

[Darrick Evenson]

I was a Baha'i for several years (1996-1998). I left the Baha'i Faith mainly because other Baha'is were shunning me. I was shunned because I did not believe the races were equal in intelligence. After many years of study I came to the conclusion:

*Asians are most intelligent, followed by Caucasians, then Malaysians, then Africans, then Amerinds, then Aboriginals and Melanesians.

I based this upon the following....

*Ape-men had smaller brains than we do. Thus, brain-size equates with intelligence.

*Homo Sapiens have larger brains than Homo Erectus

*Human races have variation in brain-size; with Asians having the largest and Aboriginals (Australia) and Melanesians (New Guinea and Melanesia) having the smallest.

*Asians always seem to do best at math music and language ability. This is why one finds them overproportionately in higher-math classes at university. They are simply "better" at these abilities (generally speaking).

*Aboriginals and Melanesians have the smallest brains (on average) of all humans. Pure-blooded Aboriginese do not seem to have the ability to do higher math. Aboriginal children cannot learn as fast as white children, and the few Asian children in Australia always learn faster and do better on tests and math and language and music than their white classmates.

I told the Baha'is this over the years, when the subject came up, and they screamed "RACIST!!!" I pointed out to them that "racism" was the belief that one's own race was superior to all others, and I was not Asian. They didn't care. They said that Baha'u'llah and 'Abdu'l-Baha taught that the races were equal. I told them this was not the case, and they never said any such thing. They didn't care. I was shunned.

Baha'is emphazie "Race Unity" but one of the Principles of the Baha'i Faith is that Religion and Science must agree, and that if you believe a religious doctrine that does not agree with science, you must abandone it. Well...ALL scientific studies ever done on race and intelligence show the races are not equal in intelligence. I told this to the Baha'is. They had no argument, but woudl say "YOU'RE A RACIST!" and then shun me completely.

Nothing in the works of Baha'u'llah or 'Abdu'l-Baha says the races are equal in intelligence; only that the races are like children in a family, all are different in intelligence and temperment, but all should be equally loved. THAT is what I believe too.

Darrick

[Mario]

I am (sometimes) Skeptical of "Science."

I told the Baha'is this over the years, when the subject came up, and they screamed "RACIST!!!" I pointed out to them that "racism" was the belief that one's own race was superior to all others, and I was not Asian. They didn't care. They said that Baha'u'llah and 'Abdu'l-Baha taught that the races were equal. I told them this was not the case, and they never said any such thing. They didn't care. I was shunned.
Darrick

Let's suppose we have a "big" Malaysian and a "tiny" asian. The person with a bigger physique, hence, the bigger brain, should then be (correct me if I am wrong) more intelligent than the smaller person with a smaller brain mass. In science, it takes only one "anomaly" to negate a theory...

Men are (in general) bigger than Women. They have larger brains (on average) right?
Are Men therefore smarter than Women?

I am the last person to argue with science. But I am skeptical. Logic, here, tells me that if brain mass is what ultimately dictates the degree of intelligence, then it is not an issue of race, but an issue of body physique. Yet, I can't tell you the number of "idiots" I've met who happened to be taller and bigger than me.

And if the Asians where so much smarter (again, I am playing the devil's advocate here) how come they have difficulty pronouncing certain words? For the record, I would consider what I just said to be prospeterous arguement. You can be a genius and utterly inarticulate.

Albert Einstein used (supposedly) only a fraction of his brain.

An Asian who is not diligent, raised by wolves, has no respect for anything and who does not exercise his or her full potential, cannot be more intelligent than an Aboriginal Australian kidnapped at birth and eventually sent to Harvard.

There are also many types of intelligence, including spatial and emotional.

But the fear I would have here is that people who might have a narrow view of things might make a direct correlation between intelligence and racial superiority.

[Johnson]

Hi Darrick...it is nice to meet you here on the Forum. I have been a friend of Mario's since the "old days".

I have read your posts with great interest. It is nice to see a fellow "seeker" of knowledge.

My thoughts on the discussion of identifying "intelligence" and other attributes based upon physical inspection are as follows: I am of the mind that scientific research and assessment for its own sake is rather moot without evaluating things in the context of a deeper spiritual component. Intelligence in my understanding is more driven by spiritual essences than by the phyical vessels that contain us. Einstein's brain was obviously studied and re-studied to the nth degree after his death. Researchers tried to find something physical that would identify his genius. Lo and behold, his brain was found to be basically "normal". His amazing gift of thought was not due to anything of his physicality. This in a very oversimplified sense, is the story of our very being and essences. The placement of ourselves <spiritually> is really the true determinant of our abilities and enlightenment. I think a brain of any size and capacity, if one has the desire and commitment to learn and seek "truth" , has the inherent ability for greatness. All brains have this ability of prayer and quiet introspection...

[Darrick Evenson]

Tiny brains?

Brain-size is not factored by how big the brain is. Certainly Asians are usually not large individuals, and are small compared, say, to Fijians who are usually 6 feet 5 inches and larger. However, if one factors in brain-size compared to body-size (known as "cranial capacity), Asians have the largest brains. One can notice this simply by observing their head-size relative to their body size. Asians have larger cranial capacities than do other races. Caucasians are second, then Malaysians, then Africans, and finally the Aboriginals and Melanesians.

This also applies to women vs. men. Woman have smaller bodies.

Again, I base this not upon IQ scores, but brain-size and general abilities; such as mathmatical aptitude, language and music aptitude, etc.

Asians born in America have no difficulty speaking English or with pronunciation. Japanese born in Japan cannot pronounce "L" but they are can learn English easier than most Americans can learn Japanese.

[samer el haddad]

Dear Darrick,
I'm 27 years young architect and spiritual seeker that found scientific enlightenment in religious corners.
I believe so many hypothesis we're proposed by human philosophers\thinkers and negated by religious explanations like the evolution theory.
As a daheshist i have come to believe that all that you are as a material being is the result of a complex mixture of spiritual fluids that are born from your soul(the spiritual component of a human being).The spiritual fluids materialise as a consequence to deeds in past lives(that assure the immortality of the spirit).The point is that every human being on earth is a case in itself having certain capacities or potentials.these capacities will florish in the right circumstances.and these potentials will render effective if appreciated and nourished.
As a personal opinion,i would not generalise neither on a racial basis nor on physical proportions.The similarities in attitudes and capacities are the result of similar traditions, forms of education ,and social disciplines.I would say that asians being smarter is not relative to their proportions,but to their sociatal disciplne.Hitler once said that the asians will invade the modern world for their impecable discipline and perseverance.We can see today that the main industrial\military threats are coming from the far east.It's the fact that continuous productivity and time evaluation and team work what make the far east societies brilliant.These similarities(attitude,shape and capacity)are the main factors that provoke the ultimite confussion of the racial differences.It's the impact of the society.
But these similarities will render ineffective in the sociological comprehension(including what Mr Derrick generalises about difference in races)if we experiment scientifically cases that are a little bit more detailed as city by city ,or country by country,leading to individual by individual which clearly states that there's no general rule for sociological capacities or behaviors.
In sociology,To create an idea about a certain nation or a group of people,a statistical study is proceeded asking same questions to different people and generalising the common points,and interpretting the differences as residues of human freewill and choices.

The uniqueness of each person is not subject to shape or color or brain size,but to GOD given capacities earned by each individual differently.The resemblance of individuals in a society is a direct result of sociatal behavior.
May your search be satisfactory.
Regards
Samer Haddad.

[Johnson]

The uniqueness of each person is not subject to shape or color or brain size,but to GOD given capacities earned by each individual differently.

Beautifully said, Samer. I agree with you.

[Daheshville]

Dear Darrick,
I'm 27 years young architect and spiritual seeker that found scientific enlightenment in religious corners.
I believe so many hypothesis we're proposed by human philosophers\thinkers and negated by religious explanations like the evolution theory.
As a daheshist i have come to believe that all that you are as a material being is the result of a complex mixture of spiritual fluids that are born from your soul(the spiritual component of a human being).The spiritual fluids materialise as a consequence to deeds in past lives(that assure the immortality of the spirit).The point is that every human being on earth is a case in itself having certain capacities or potentials.these capacities will florish in the right circumstances.and these potentials will render effective if appreciated and nourished.
As a personal opinion,i would not generalise neither on a racial basis nor on physical proportions.The similarities in attitudes and capacities are the result of similar traditions, forms of education ,and social disciplines.I would say that asians being smarter is not relative to their proportions,but to their sociatal disciplne.Hitler once said that the asians will invade the modern world for their impecable discipline and perseverance.We can see today that the main industrial\military threats are coming from the far east.It's the fact that continuous productivity and time evaluation and team work what make the far east societies brilliant.These similarities(attitude,shape and capacity)are the main factors that provoke the ultimite confussion of the racial differences.It's the impact of the society.
But these similarities will render ineffective in the sociological comprehension(including what Mr Derrick generalises about difference in races)if we experiment scientifically cases that are a little bit more detailed as city by city ,or country by country,leading to individual by individual which clearly states that there's no general rule for sociological capacities or behaviors.
In sociology,To create an idea about a certain nation or a group of people,a statistical study is proceeded asking same questions to different people and generalising the common points,and interpretting the differences as residues of human freewill and choices.

The uniqueness of each person is not subject to shape or color or brain size,but to GOD given capacities earned by each individual differently.The resemblance of individuals in a society is a direct result of sociatal behavior.
May your search be satisfactory.
Regards
Samer Haddad.

Well ... now you know who is DTE ...

Thank you for sharing with us who you are Samer ...