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nwando
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One of the world's most eminent scientists was embroiled in an extraordinary row last night after he claimed that black people were less intelligent than white people and the idea that "equal powers of reason" were shared across racial groups was a delusion.
James Watson, a Nobel Prize winner for his part in the unravelling of DNA who now runs one of America's leading scientific research institutions, drew widespread condemnation for comments he made ahead of his arrival in Britain today for a speaking tour at venues including the Science Museum in London.
The 79-year-old geneticist reopened the explosive debate about race and science in a newspaper interview in which he said Western policies towards African countries were wrongly based on an assumption that black people were as clever as their white counterparts when "testing" suggested the contrary. He claimed genes responsible for creating differences in human intelligence could be found within a decade. or this one. please decode it for me since I don't know what 'lack of intelligence' or 'not so clever' means |
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Kobojunkie
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Questionable Intelligence
By Tobin Harshaw
October 17, 2007, 4:18 pm
Well, as a public relations blunder, it would be hard to top Knut
Hamsun�s decision to turn his Nobel Prize in literature over to the Nazi
regime. Still, another laureate keeps giving it his best shot. �James
Watson, a Nobel Prize winner for his part in the unravelling of DNA who
now runs one of America�s leading scientific research institutions,
drew widespread condemnation for comments he made ahead of his arrival
in Britain today for a speaking tour at venues including the Science
Museum in London,� reports The Independent of London.
�The 79-year-old geneticist,� the report continued, �reopened the
explosive debate about race and science in a newspaper interview in
which he said Western policies towards African countries were wrongly
based on an assumption that black people were as clever as their white
counterparts when �testing� suggested the contrary. He claimed genes
responsible for creating differences in human intelligence could be
found within a decade.�
Daniel Cressey at The Great Beyond, the blog of the scientific journal
Nature, says it�s a pattern: �Watson has previously courted
controversy with his views on women and his musing on the fact it might be
possible to abort homosexual babies. In a recent interview with the
Guardian, where he also makes unflattering remarks about fellow DNA-scientist
Rosalind Franklin, he said �Unfair discrimination exists whether we
like it or not; I wouldn�t have married a gum-chewing vegetarian.
Ultimately, we�ll help the people we discriminate against if we try to
understand more about them; genetics will lead to a world where there is
a sympathy for the underdog.�
The story may not end here. The Independent reports that �Anti-racism
campaigners called for Dr Watson�s remarks to be looked at in the
context of racial hatred laws� and that the government�s Equality and
Human Rights Commission �said it was studying Dr Watson�s remarks
�in full.� �
One could suppose that Watson, as an American, would find such
hate-speech laws beyond the pale � and it seems a few Britons would agree.
�Obviously this is extremely controversial viewpoint and people are
entitled to disagree and criticise Watson for saying it. What isn�t on
is for organisations and MPs to try and have him prosecuted for
expressing an opinion,� writes the anonymous Brit-blogger Ross at
Unenlightened Commentary.
�Do these people really want Britain to regress to a country where
Nobel winning scientists, or any scientists, cannot openly discuss ideas
without facing the brunt of the law. It doesn�t matter whether the
ideas being discussed are right or wrong, it must be possible to discuss
them openly.�
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Jen33 (m)
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Watson's theory constitutes pure racial stereotyping of the worst order. This is not ''science''. This is ''pseudo-science'' perpetrated by charlatans.
It is social experiences from history in conjunction with current socio/political environments, which determine the 'predisposition' of any people or race at any given time.
In other words if a race are disposed to act a certain way, it is due to what happened to them in the past and what is presently happening to them, and their perception of what will happen to them in future, with the three always related one to the other.
It's got nothing to do with their 'genes'.
History is replete with black people uniting to engage in useful endeavours. This is why history is so important. It is this lack of (or rather, extremely limited) knowledge about our history that makes us cannon fodder for any pseudo scientist come lately.
30, 000 years ago our ancestors were separating red ochre from iron in a Swaziland cave. Surely they must have put heads together to decide on how to go about this process,
If black people were incapable of collective action, or 'less intelligent' they would not have been able to create and maintain high civilization in the Nile Valley for 7,000 years, and export civilization to the rest of the world.
In comparison the West has only been dominant and ''united'' in any real sense for just under 500 years. If anything it should be THEIR genes that should be in question.
Forgive me if I do not see things from the superficial perspective largey dictated by current or recent events in Africa.
To 'scientifically' analyse a race, you do not look at simply what's happening NOW or what occurred in the last 100 or 300 years, but the past 10,000 years.
Else you get a very misleading and superficial reading of what's contained in its 'genes'.
Credit here goes to Prof Asante of Temple University for some excerpts hereon:
The Greeks whom are credited with originating everything, actually admitted that they learnt everything from black Africans. Medicine, Law, Philosophy, Mathematics. In fact do you know the origin of the word philosophy?
It comes from two words, Philo and Sophia. Philo in Greek means brother or lover. The origin of Sophia, according to dictionaries on Greek etymology ' is ''unknown''.
The reason it is ''unknown'' is because they looked throughout Europe for the origin of the word and couldn't find it. Most Europeans who write books on etymology do not consider Zulu, Xhosa, Yoruba, or Amharic, when coming to a conclusion about what is ''known'' or ''unknown''. They never think that a term used by a European language may have come from Africa.
As far as scholarship can reveal the origin of the word philosophy is not in the Greek language, although it comes into English from the Greek. According to them, the origin of the word is unknown. But that is if you are looking for the origin in Europe.
There are two parts to the word philosophy as it comes to us from the Greek, “Philo” meaning brother or lover and “Sophia” meaning wisdom or wise. Thus, a philosopher is called a “lover of wisdom. ”
The origin of “Sophia” is clearly in the African language, Mdu Ntr, the language of ancient Egypt, where the word “Seba,” meaning “the wise” appears first in 2052 BC in the tomb of Antef I, long before the existence of Greece or Greek. The word became “Sebo” in Coptic and “Sophia” in Greek. As to the philosopher, the lover of wisdom, that is precisely what is meant by “Seba,” the Wise, in ancient tomb writings of the Egyptians.
The Igbo word 'dibia' may have come from that, the latter meaning in actual sense a 'priest', traditionally interchangeable with 'philosopher', 'wise man'.
Diodorus Siculus, the Greek writer, in his On Egypt, written in the first century before Christ, says that many who are “celebrated among the Greeks for intelligence and learning, ventured to Egypt in olden times, that they might partake of the customs, and sample the teachings there. For the priests of Egypt cite from their records in the holy books that in the former times they were visited by Orpheus and Musaeus, Melampos, Daedalos, besides the poet Homer, Lycurgus the Spartan, Solon the Athenian, and Plato the philosopher, Pythagoras of Samos and the mathematician Eudoxos, as well as Democritus of Abdera and Oenopides of Chios, also came there.”
Obviously many Greeks who learned philosophy ventured to Africa to study. They came for many intellectual reasons. One can see that the Greeks appreciated the fact that in Egypt were men and women of great skill and knowledge just as the Egyptians appreciated the fact that there were men and women of greater knowledge in Ethiopia (Africa South of Egypt).
According to Herodotus, writing in the 5th Century BC in Book II of History, the Ethiopians said that the Egyptians were nothing but a colony of Ethiopians. Of course, today there remains an entire system of disbelief about the history, experiences, and knowledge of the people of Africa, created during the past five hundred years of European conquest.
A rhetoric of denial of Africa’s capability was developed to accompany the dispossession of Africa. This was done to go along with the European conquest of Africa, Asia, and America. Colonization was not just a land issue, it was an issue of colonizing information about the land.
Yet I am of the opinion that the ancients knew better than the contemporary pundits about the importance of non-Africans studying in black Africa.
There was no Germany, France, England, Italy, United States, or Spain to speak of when the Greeks started to travel to Africa for their studies. Indeed, they went to Africa and after they went back to Greece created the Greek Golden Era.
It was not before, but after they had studied in Egypt that these people got some advanced training.
What I am saying is that they had to come to Africa and study with the wise men of ancient Egypt, who were black, in order to be able to learn medicine, mathematics, geometry, art, and so forth. This was long before there was any European civilization.
Why did the Greek philosophers study in Africa? Thales, the first Greek philosopher and the first who is recorded to have studied in Africa, says that he learned philosophy from the Egyptians. They studied in Egypt because it was the educational capital of the ancient world.
Pythagoras is known to have spent at least twenty two years in Africa.
One could get a fairly good education in twenty two years, perhaps even earn a Ph.D!
The Greeks were seeking the philosophical information that the Africans possessed. When Isocrates wrote of his studies in the book Busirus, he said that “I studied philosophy and medicine in Egypt.” He did not study these subjects in Greece in Europe, but in Egypt in Africa.
Not only is the word philosophy not Greek, the practice of philosophy existed long before the Greeks. Imhotep, Ptahhotep, Amenemhat, Merikare, Duauf, Amenhotep, son of Hapu, Akhenaten, and the sage of Khunanup, are just a few of the African philosophers who lived long before there was a Greece or a Greek philosopher.
When the Africans finished building the pyramids in 2500 BC it would be one thousand seven hundred years before Homer, the first Greek writer, appears!
(Considering what's been written over the last mere 4 or 500 years of western dominance, It is a fair bet that in those 1,700 years, numerous African theses would have been published attempting to 'genetically' interprete the barbarity of the then cave dwelling European tribes.)
And when Homer appears and begins to write The Iliad he does not spend much time before he is writing about what happened in Africa or what was happening in Africa.
The Greek gods were meeting in Ethiopia.
Homer is said to have spent seven years in Africa.
What could he have learned in those classes with those wise teachers? He could have learned Law, philosophy, religion, astronomy, literature, politics, and medicine.
Africans did not wait for the Greeks to figure out how to construct the pyramids. Can you see the Africans standing around at the stone quarries or on the banks of the Nile in 2500 BC speculating on when some European would come alone and help them measure the earth, calculate width, breadth, and depth, determine the exact helical rising of Serpet (Sirius) and the inundation of the Nile, or diagnose the diseases of the human body.
According to Herodotus, in Histories, Book II, the Colchians were Egyptians “because like the Egyptians they had black skin and wooly hair.”
Aristotle says in Physiognomonica that “the Egyptians and Ethiopians are very black.”
At a major 1974 conference sponsored by UNESCO on the “Peopling of Egypt” in Cairo, two blacks, Diop and Theophile Obenga, walked toward fear and when they had finished presenting their papers they had shattered all of the lies that were told about Africans.
Using science, linguistics, anthropology, and history, these two intellectual giants demonstrated that the ancient Egyptians were black.
They used a melanin test on the skin of a mummy, art from the walls of tombs, correspondences to other African languages, and the testimonies of the ancients.
It is so interesting to me that the ancient Greeks knew much better than the current crop of Europeans who pontificate on the subject that the ancient Egyptians, long before the coming of the Greeks, Romans, Arabs, and Turks to Egypt, were Africans, indeed, black-skinned Africans.
The color of the ancient Egyptians should not matter; it only comes up because one always finds some white person who is dedicated to the proposition that Africans are somehow ''not capable'', and especially not black Africans.
Of course, everyone should know that the Egyptians were Africans, but the fact is that they were not just Africans, these particular Egyptians were black skinned with woolly hair.
Philosophy begins first with the black skinned people of the Nile Valley around 2800 BC, that is, 2200 years before the appearance of Thales of Miletus, considered the first Western philosopher.
As I mentioned earlier, 30,000 years ago our ancestors were separating red ochre from iron in a Swaziland cave. They had to have some idea about what they were doing. There had to be some reflection, some process by which the elders determined what was to be used for what and on what occasion. Thus, even before writing, we have evidence that Africans were engaging in meaningful discussions about the nature of their environment.
And they exported their civilization, not just to Europe, but to the rest of the world, including India and China.
Research the 'gods' of those lands. The earliest depictions of Buddha show him as a BLACK MAN.
The earliest depictions of Krishna show him as a BLACK MAN.
These men are believed to have been Egyptian priests and sages of antiquity sent forth to bring high civilization to hitherto barbaric peoples.
The Africans could easily have overrun places like Greece in Europe when global economic and military power was centered in Africa. Instead they allowed the Greeks to come and learn philosophy and mathematics, they sent their wisemen to civilize China, India, and South America (See Olmec civilizatron).
The west used the knowledged gained from the Africans to devise ways to finish us off and cart away our loot, and the the treasure of the rest of the world, trampling upon earlier civilizations, in an orgy of global violence and massacres.
The Egyptians fled southwards to escape their slave raids and subjugation. This explains the presence of groups in Africa with strong cultural, linguistic lnks to Nile Valley Civilization, and the dominant knowledge of early migration 'from the north'.
The idea of the teachers suddenly becoming ''less intelligent'' than the students, who misused their knowledge for their selfish gain, is effectively, preposterous.
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beneli (m)
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@Jena33
Thank you.
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MP007 (m)
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I have always adored dr watson.I even have sorry had his picture with ma dad on the wall of my room, Making statement that blacks are dumb asses just sucks, Low IQ? , maybe some or most black people are less intelligent because of the system, economic, poverty and above all IGNORANCE, but to tell me that being less intelligent as got everything to do with my color,culture and ancestors is just ridiculous, am dissapointed. By the way, watson wasnt among the best when he was in school, just thought i let yall know,
Most africans (not black americans) that I know here in american universities are well respected because they know are brilliant and smart people, na Ignorance dey kill black person. "A race that doesnt know its past,culture and values will allways play second fiddle"-word
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MP007 (m)
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black people will continue to believe that they are less intelligent as long as they do not maximize their potentials, ignorance!!
I just can't believe a black man tellin me whites are more intelligent than he/she, all yall that voted for "'of course they are smarter(meaning white f0lks), ARE african bastards and yall should be ashamed,
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TCUBE (m)
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What is intelligence? can't really be defined, so stop wasting your time posting.There is really nothing to argue, watson is just acting out , he is 80 something, all-timers in baba ni!  take a dev.pys class and u 'll understand better, No race is intellectually superior, |
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lamisanya (m)
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Professor Watson may be right about one African; Almondjoy . that Africans live in squalor does not mean that they are intelligent. some 40 years ago Korea was an agriculture based country with worse living conditions than sierra-leone at the time. Now the difference is clear. does that mean that koreans evolved a new gene for intelligence and africans deleted theirs? keep in mind that he said it has a genetic basis. Which means that regardless of what we do we will continue to be less intelligent until (gene therapy) and that it is not our fault But GOD's. who knows what is going on in the mind of some one that claims that Africans Genetically have a higher LIBIDO. In other words According to Him (Watson) we are just; MINDLESS F@#KERS !!>   |
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@labiyemmy (m)
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the whole Nairaland is a proof that the professor may be right afterall.
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Kobojunkie
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Professor Watson may be right about one African; Almondjoy . that Africans live in squalor does not mean that they are intelligent. some 40 years ago Korea was an agriculture based country with worse living conditions than sierra-leone at the time. Now the difference is clear. does that mean that koreans evolved a new gene for intelligence and africans deleted theirs? keep in mind that he said it has a genetic basis. Which means that regardless of what we do we will continue to be less intelligent until (gene therapy) and that it is not our fault But GOD's. who knows what is going on in the mind of some one that claims that Africans Genetically have a higher LIBIDO. In other words According to Him (Watson) we are just; MINDLESS F@#KERS !!> The problem with your whole argument there is that has NOTHING to do with what the Man actually said. Did you even bother reading what he said?? Instead of inserting into it what you think he said instead??? And please?? Why focus on AlmondJoy?? I bet if I searched this whole site, I would find at least one place where even you expressed your disappointment in one way or another in our system. Why is it ok for you to do so and not ok for her to do same, to whatever degree she chooses?? |
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lamisanya (m)
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The problem with your whole argument there is that has NOTHING to do with what the Man actually said. Did you even bother reading what he said?? Instead of inserting into it what you think he said instead???
And please?? Why focus on AlmondJoy?? I bet if I searched this whole site, I would find at least one place where even you expressed your disappointment in one way or another in our system. Why is it ok for you to do so and not ok for her to do same, to whatever degree she chooses??
Mr Advocate, perhaps you are the one who Doesn't understand. Watson said Blacks (not Africans) then mentioned something about a gene for intelligence: he was definitely linking it to genetics just as he previously suggested a link also between sex drive and libido. I was trying to dissuade Almondjoy from carrying on about the fact that we live in squalor being proof of our "LESS INTELLIGENCE"after all a Cab-Driver in Sweeden is probably better-off financially than a doctor working for Taraba state( i have inside info) but I'm sure of who will do better in an IQ test. there are other topics for airing or expressing diappointment in a system. Almondjoy please Excuse me if I was Rude advocate;understand before you reply. |
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lamisanya (m)
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The problem with your whole argument there is that has NOTHING to do with what the Man actually said. Did you even bother reading what he said?? Instead of inserting into it what you think he said instead???
And please?? Why focus on AlmondJoy?? I bet if I searched this whole site, I would find at least one place where even you expressed your disappointment in one way or another in our system. Why is it ok for you to do so and not ok for her to do same, to whatever degree she chooses??
Mr Advocate, perhaps you are the one who Doesn't understand. Watson said Blacks (not Africans) then mentioned something about a gene for intelligence: he was definitely linking it to genetics just as he previously suggested a link also between sex drive and libido. I was trying to dissuade Almondjoy from carrying on about the fact that we live in squalor being proof of our "LESS INTELLIGENCE"after all a Cab-Driver in Sweeden is probably better-off financially than a doctor working for Taraba state( i have inside info) but I'm sure of who will do better in an IQ test. there are other topics for airing or expressing disappointment in a system. Almondjoy please Excuse me if I was Rude MR Advocate;read and understand before you reply. |
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almondjoy (f)
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Professor Watson may be right about one African; Almondjoy . that Africans live in squalor does not mean that they are intelligent. some 40 years ago Korea was an agriculture based country with worse living conditions than sierra-Leone at the time. Now the difference is clear. does that mean that Koreans evolved a new gene for intelligence and Africans deleted theirs? keep in mind that he said it has a genetic basis. Which means that regardless of what we do we will continue to be less intelligent until (gene therapy) and that it is not our fault But GOD's. who knows what is going on in the mind of some one that claims that Africans Genetically have a higher LIBIDO. In other words According to Him (Watson) we are just; MINDLESS F@#KERS !!> And who told you I am an "African"?------I may be a Nigerian by "association" definitely not an "African" Who dash baboon libido? |
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dustydee (m)
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we are all made by God, africans have the same capabilty as any other race, we are just disadvantaged when it comes to the right environment, like facilities to polish their talents,
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Kobojunkie
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we are all made by God, africans have the same capabilty as any other race, we are just disadvantaged when it comes to the right environment, like facilities to polish their talents,
Prove that statement please or accept that that is just trying to claim an excuse for our continuing to be in the state that we are, which is just RIDICULOUS @DustyDEE |
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lamisanya (m)
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And who told you I am an "African"?------I may be a Nigerian by "association" definitely not an "African" Who dash baboon libido? Whether you are Gabonese or an Aboriginee, Prof Watson Said Black people .i.e Negro or Negroid. So as long as your dark skin is not due to regular sun tanning, Your I.Q is less than that of a Norwegian bus-boy.AND you get horny more than him. Don't hate me I'm just Being Watson |
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Kobojunkie
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Mr Advocate, perhaps you are the one who Doesn't understand. Watson said Blacks (not Africans) then mentioned something about a gene for intelligence: he was definitely linking it to genetics just as he previously suggested a link also between sex drive and libido.
I was trying to dissuade Almondjoy from carrying on about the fact that we live in squalor being proof of our "LESS INTELLIGENCE"
after all a Cab-Driver in Sweeden is probably better-off financially than a doctor working for Taraba state( i have inside info) but I'm sure of who will do better in an IQ test. there are other topics for airing or expressing disappointment in a system. Almondjoy please Excuse me if I was Rude
MR Advocate;read and understand before you reply.
Again, this nothing close to what He was referring to. Intelligence does not have anything to do with just book smarts. It has more to do with the way you use the skills and talents you have to better your life and the life of those around you. The Reason we continue to live in Squalor is that we have not yet INTELLIGENTLY taken advantage of what we have right there in our immediate environment to our own benefit. Look at recent moves, were we now have China come over to take what We have and do better with it for us right there in our own land. Do you not seriously see a problem there?? We have everything we need to make a better life for ourselves. These minerals did not just come up after the Caucasian world invented electricity. Our foreFathers used some of these to build cutlasses, houses, feed their own kids and made a good living with the same. It is right there for all. Take a look around. Why are we not intelligently using these and applying the skills we have as human beings to use for our good?? Nigerians have been travelling to developed countries for almost a century now. We have millions of our people who were educated in foriegn universities. We still have hundreds of thousands of nigerians today who go abroad to get an education. The mere fact that these people have been exposed to the good and the new things in the developed countries and the education as well, during their time there is solid reason why the current situation in the country is unacceptable and basically opens the door for such claims that we may be less intelligent than formerly suspected. WE HAVE NO EXCUSE. Look at China, compare china today with China of 15 years. Most of the Buildings and businesses in Shanghai and many of the big cities today only went up in the last 10 years. |
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londoner
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While I agree with your last point Kobojunkie, the Nigerians who have been exposed to the west, or even our intelligent minds and talented individuals at home ARE NOT AFFORDED THE OPPORTUNITY TO PUT IT TO THE COUNTRY'S USE. The Chinese were able to benefit from their talented individuals, our country has for too long been monopolised by self centred, uneducated, selfish, visionless individuals. That is why we have not been able to capitalise as a country on the intelligent minds we have, its not because we have a lack of intelligent minds.
When we called upon Ngozi Eweala, look at what was achieved. If she was not afforded that opportunity, she would still be an intelligent Black/African/Nigerian woman with the capabilities to make a positive difference to Nigeria, yet it would not have been realised in a tangible contribution to Nigeria.
Our intelligent people are not in the positions of influence where they can implement change, THAT is our problem.
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Kobojunkie
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While I agree with your last point Kobojunkie, the Nigerians who have been exposed to the west, or even our intelligent minds and talented individuals at home ARE NOT AFFORDED THE OPPORTUNITY TO PUT IT TO THE COUNTRY'S USE. The Chinese were able to benefit from their talented individuals, our country has for too long been monopolised by self centred, uneducated, selfish, visionless individuals. That is why we have not been able to capitalise as a country on the intelligent minds we have, its not because we have a lack of intelligent minds.
When we called upon Ngozi Eweala, look at what was achieved. If she was not afforded that opportunity, she would still be an intelligent Black/African/Nigerian woman with the capabilities to make a positive difference to Nigeria, yet it would not have been realised in a tangible contribution to Nigeria.
Our intelligent people are not in the positions of influence where they can implement change, THAT is our problem.
I do not know who Ngozi Eweala is and so can not speak much on what she was able to do and what opportunities were given her. But here is THE BIG QUESTION OF THE MILLENIA to you, What is this so called OPPORTUNITY we are waiting for?? WHAT IS HOLDING US BACK NOW from achieving the best we can in our situation as we find it today?? WHAT IS THE Answer to this Question??? |
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Kobojunkie
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I just researched the woman you mentioned and I am wondering why you mentioned her in this case @Londoner. She has a job and all with the WB as Ibrahim something has a job as UN diplomat to Burma or something. How does that CHANGE THE LIVES OF NIGERIANS??? How does not BENEFIT NIGERIANS??? That is what Intelligent would mean in this case. Notice how Watson pointed to his predicting gloom and doom for Africa, Not based on Book Smarts or positions people can hold but basically development that can come from such. Being able to become CEO of Microsoft is not intelligence in all, heck, Bill gates own son can get there just cause. Being able to AFFECT the world around you in a positive way is what we are talking of and the problem we seem to have in majority of the black world.
I have more hope in that boy that built a Helicopter in some northern state in Nigeria than I have in the woman you mentioned when it comes to development and use of intelligence in such a way that people benefit from it.
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lamisanya (m)
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The definition of intelligence has long been a matter of controversy.
Intelligence comes from the latin verb "intellegere", which means "to understand". By this rationale, intelligence (as understanding) is arguably different from being "smart" (able to adapt to one's environment), or being "clever" (able to creatively adapt). By the Latin definition, intelligence arguably has to do with a deeper understanding of the relationships of all things around us; and with a capability for metaphysical manipulation of such objects once such understanding is mastered. So as you can see BlackS as watson said (NOT ONLY NIGERIANS BUT ALSO AFRICAN-AMERICANS AND WEST INDIANS ETC) are smart, clever and intelligent.
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janami (f)
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me i no sabi grammar too much, i no even sabi write epistle but wetin i no be say if westerners get sense how come yahoo yahoo boys still dey chop their money?  na them daft pass |
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Kobojunkie
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The definition of intelligence has long been a matter of controversy.
Intelligence comes from the latin verb "intellegere", which means "to understand". By this rationale, intelligence (as understanding) is arguably different from being "smart" (able to adapt to one's environment), or being "clever" (able to creatively adapt). By the Latin definition, intelligence arguably has to do with a deeper understanding of the relationships of all things around us; and with a capability for metaphysical manipulation of such objects once such understanding is mastered. So as you can see BlackS as watson said (NOT ONLY NIGERIANS BUT ALSO AFRICAN-AMERICANS AND WEST INDIANS ETC) are smart, clever and intelligent.
Again @Lamisanya, i am sure that Watson was not talking of the 16th century definition of the word, I am sure he was speaking of intelligence, not in the BOOK SMARTS level only since that can not be applied alone to the examples he gave for his reasoning but the other many definitions. Read what the man supposedly said please!! |
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lamisanya (m)
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This argument is pointless. People are still fighting over the correct definition of intelligence and we are here trying to compare races based on an abstract and inconclusive term.It all boils down to your own definition of intelligence. Some see it as living above certain financial limits, some see it as economic development, some see it as book smarts, some others don't know what it actually is( but claim to know what it is not ). So i think it is a case of; "I'll call it as I see it". I'm not Watson so I cannot say I'm sure of his own definition. All I know is that by my own standards,They ain't no more intelligent than I would be if I was there and they were here; NATURE/NURTURE. |
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Kobojunkie
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This argument is pointless. People are still fighting over the correct definition of intelligence and we are here trying to compare races based on an abstract and inconclusive term.It all boils down to your own definition of intelligence. Some see it as living above certain financial limits, some see it as economic development, some see it as book smarts, some others don't know what it actually is( but claim to know what it is not ). So i think it is a case of; "I'll call it as I see it". I'm not Watson so I cannot say I'm sure of his own definition. All I know is that by my own standards,They ain't no more intelligent than I would be if I was there and they were here; NATURE/NURTURE. Trying to redefine words will never help us, I gave you the dictionary definition of the word as it is used today and you came up with excuses as to how to use the 1600's version to word in today's world and you do not see what is wrong with us yet?? Watson is not the problem here, We are. According to the meaning of the word, whichever way you want to apply it, we continue to fall SHORT as a people and THIS should be a call for all africans to rise up and do better for HEAVEN's SAKE!!!! Stop. OPening your mouth and blasting over a megaphone that you are intelligent does not work for all persons. It can work within your own family but usually outside people want to see you ACT intelligently. ACTION SPEAKS LOUDER THAN WORDS, Even if you have read all the books in the world and know all there is to know but have nothing but your claims to show for it. If you have all that and your family is still living miserable and you can not even feed yourself, in the eyes of many, you are still an idiot and the man down the street who knows .5 of what you know but is able to take care of his family and his community is considered more intelligent in all wise, regardless of if he can read or not read. Please stop playing twister with this and focus on the main issue if you are really serious here. |
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typical
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ACTION SPEAKS LOUDER THAN WORDS, Even if you have read all the books in the world and know all there is to know but have nothing but your claims to show for it. If you have all that and your family is still living miserable and you can not even feed yourself, in the eyes of many, you are still an idiot and the man down the street who knows .5 of what you know but is able to take care of his family and his community is considered more intelligent in all wise, regardless of if he can read or not read. Please stop playing twister with this and focus on the main issue if you are really serious here.
Are you not describing wisdom here rather than intelligence? |
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almondjoy (f)
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While I agree with your last point Kobojunkie, the Nigerians who have been exposed to the west, or even our intelligent minds and talented individuals at home ARE NOT AFFORDED THE OPPORTUNITY TO PUT IT TO THE COUNTRY'S USE.
The Chinese were able to benefit from their talented individuals, our country has for too long been monopolised by self centred, uneducated, selfish, visionless individuals. That is why we have not been able to capitalise as a country on the intelligent minds we have, its not because we have a lack of intelligent minds.
When we called upon Ngozi Eweala, look at what was achieved. If she was not afforded that opportunity, she would still be an intelligent Black/African/Nigerian woman with the capabilities to make a positive difference to Nigeria, yet it would not have been realised in a tangible contribution to Nigeria.
Our intelligent people are not in the positions of influence where they can implement change, THAT is our problem.
Yeah right! Blah blah blah blah blah! Excuses, excuses and more excuses to rationalizes the madness! With all the "education and talent"--people like Dr. N.O.I will continue to ruled be illiterate farmers and cattlerearers. Go figure! How useless is the smartness? Next experiment for Papa Watson--with more apologies to follow. Whether you are Gabonese or an Aboriginee, Prof Watson Said Black people .i.e Negro or Negroid. So as long as your dark skin is not due to regular sun tanning, Your I.Q is less than that of a Norwegian bus-boy. AND you get horny more than him. Don't hate me I'm just Being Watson
And I am sure Watson used you as part of his experiment. No wonder he came to a swift and timely conclusion.---And had to apologise for "your" existence! |
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Kobojunkie
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Are you not describing wisdom here rather than intelligence?
In the world we live in today, if you look around you, it seems people like to go PC when it comes to use of the word WISDOM. We like to use that word when we are talking of people like the Dalai Lama and other spiritual heads like those but when it comes to ordinary people, we try to stay away from such and use words like intelligent, clever, smart instead. I cite the very examples that Watson himself gave for his case. His claim that he seems a gloomy future for Africa cause the rest of the world has been dealing with Africa assuming that they are just as intelligent (wise) as they all think. I am sure he was not speaking of book smarts or any other form of intelligence that has to deal with reading a book or speaking the english language or any other language and if you really look at the problem in africa today, it is not a problem of book smarts. We have professors who are well educated and still squart in the bushes to ease themselves. Are you sure they are not smart enough to know that is not really good in this day and age?? We have governors who have phd degrees and still instead want to embezzle money and build big houses with all the money they get in their hands, knowing full well that people will know and it might come back and bite him and his children. Is that really a problem of book smarts or wisdom?? you tell me |
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almondjoy (f)
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@Kobojunkie
You are way to intelligent for this forum and I hope it does not take a toll on your mental and physical health like it has done to many. As you can see, most of the intellectual "bodies" that resided here are all but shadows of their former selves. I wish you the best of luck.
Stay away particularly from ones like "Typical"---that is a brain drain right there!
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lamisanya (m)
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Yeah right! Blah blah blah blah blah! Excuses, excuses and more excuses to rationalizes the madness! With all the "education and talent"--people like Dr. N.O.I will continue to ruled be illiterate farmers and cattlerearers. Go figure! How useless is the smartness? Next experiment for Papa Watson--with more apologies to follow.
And I am sure Watson used you as part of his experiment. No wonder he came to a swift and timely conclusion.---And had to apologise for "your" existence!
You remind me of one of those people that all the do is whine about this and that and do nothing. What have you ever done to better your race black or white.at least I know what I'm doing. while you're over there blabbing. about excuses. on the contrary if i was a specimen i must have been a confounding variable while you produced irrefutable evidence hence your strong support.
Trying to redefine words will never help us, I gave you the dictionary definition
How many dictionaries? 1 or 2? looks like a bad research to me.
Watson is not the problem here,we are.
You and who. Going by Watson's statement you are not even intelligent enough to tell me about intelligence. |
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