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“over several generations and in many countries and cultures, statistics on athletic performance are clear, undeniable and can be explained only genetically, and twin and adoption studies pretty clearly support genetic explanations for intellectual differences.” liberallarry

Was what I was replying to. He seems to think it is 100% heritable rather than 40% or so.

So you really think Europeans had more cultural factors that favored the reproductive success of intelligent people for longer than Persians? Do you think someone of Greek ancestry would be more likely to have a higher IQ than someone of Norwegian ancestry, due to the differences in culture over time?

He seems to think it is 100% heritable rather than 40% or so.

Sorry no. You've misstated my position. I said in an earlier post

"Oh yeah. Hard work and culture are important. But genes are , too". (or something very similar).

40% heritability is no negligible amount. You're not going to overcome a deficit like that with any amount of hard work or culture.

Again, the differences between groups in performance aren't 100% hereditary. There are other factors, including culture, economic systems, religion, and so forth. But when the same patterns repeat themselves over and over, it's unreasonable not to conclude that IQ is significantly (not completely) determined by genetics.

The Chinese not only created a great civilization, but seem to have no trouble succeeding as a minority in other people's nations. The Chinese minority in Indonesia, for example, is a frequent target of hostility because it's so successful.

Likewise, the groups which lag in Western nations tend to lag everywhere. Their own ancestral homelands are impoverished and what little prosperity they have is usually the result of intervention by others (European colonialists, for example).

I'm not quite sure I know what you mean when you ask about cultural factors contributing to IQ in Persia, Greece, etc. Are you arguing that these nations ended up with high cultures because of high IQs, or vice-versa?