[quote=“sisu, post:79, topic:672041”]
Nitpick, average is not the middle point, that’s median. You can have 90% of the population above 70 if the remaining 10% are a long way down the scale and still have an average of 70.
[\QUOTE]
Whoops, I stand corrected.
To be fair, HA, if your population is normally distributed, the mean and the median are the same.
Assuming that’s true, so what?
Why not?
So “literature” includes oral storytelling?
That is honestly one of the stupidest posts I’ve ever seen on the SDMB.
That’s the equivalent of arguing that South African blacks are clearly vastly more intelligent than white Americans because most white Americans can only speak English while most black South Africans speak multiple languages.
What idiot told you that illiteracy is evidence of low intelligence?
Should we next argue that Palestinians on the West Bank are clearly more intelligent than Israelis because most Palestinians on the West Bank can speak Arabic and Hebrew while most Israelis can’t speak Arabic?
Do you think people with IQs of 70 would be capable of making up such long oral tales and memorizing them?
How many times is Brazil84 going to debate that blacks are inferior to whites? Just wondering why people bother having the same debate with the same “scientific” racist the same way, until he slumps back down into his moist cave again until the next time.
No, in general it’s evidence that one has not had access to literacy training; in many societies (including, not so many generations ago, those you and I live in), literacy isn’t a necessary skill at all.
Of course it does. You were not aware of this? There are numerous written works by African authors, of course, as well.
Ok, so I guess your answer is “yes,” i.e. in your view widespread illiteracy is “fairly ordinary.”
If so, I would like to know your definition of “fairly ordinary” so that I can scrutinize your argument that simple observation of Africans effectively refutes any claim that they have very low average intelligence.
Please tell me your definition so that I can understand your argument.
No, I am questioning your claim that simple observation of Africans conclusively refutes any claim that they have very low average intelligence.
Your argument seems to be as follows:
Anyone who visits Africa will see, just from simple observation, that the people there are “fairly ordinary”
It is impossible for a group of people who are “fairly ordinary” to have very low average intelligence.
Therefore simple observation conclusively refutes any claim that Africans have very low average intelligence.
In order to understand and respond to this argument, I need to know what you mean by “fairly ordinary.” (Apparently it includes widespread illiteracy.)
I realize that my argument is likely to be misconstrued to be an argument that widespread illiteracy in Africa demonstrates very low average intelligence, but that’s not my argument.
Well do you agree that a person or group with low intelligence is more likely to be illiterate than a person or group with high intelligence?
More to the point, do you agree that if Africans have very low average intelligence, one would expect (generally speaking and on average) greater rates of illiteracy there than other places?
I would guess that some of them would be able to do so, yes.
There is a difference between proof and evidence. I’m certainly not arguing that widespread illiteracy in Africa is proof of very low average intelligence there.
I’m simply challenging even sven’s argument that simple observation of Africans is all that is necessary to conclusively refute any claim that they have low average intelligence.
You’re really going to argue that the assertion that the average IQ in Africa is “functionally retarded” is not on-its-face ludicrous? Really?
Holy shit. You are going to argue that. And you’re going to do so with one of the dumbest arguments I’ve ever seen. Literacy must be taught. You don’t learn to read if nobody around you can read. You don’t learn to read without someone to teach it to you. And the educational systems in most of sub-saharan Africa are absolutely atrocious. Illiteracy in cultures ill-equipped to teach it or that don’t value it is not a gauge of overall intelligence. Posting incredibly dumb, racist arguments, however, is.
Yes really.
Lol, just as I expected and predicted in Post #89, my argument has been misconstrued.
I am happy to debate with you, but please read my posts carefully and respond to the points I actually make.
Lol, what about misconstruing other peoples’ arguments when they explicitly made clear what they were NOT arguing?
I think that tells me literally everything I want to know about you. Wow.
Lol, if you prefer not to actually debate anything, that’s fine with me. As I said though, if you do want to respond to my posts, please take the time to read them carefully and respond to what I have actually said.
Just in case, I will ask you this:
Do you agree with the following argument, which seems to be what even sven is arguing?
Anyone who visits Africa will see, just from simple observation, that the people there are “fairly ordinary”
It is impossible for a group of people who are “fairly ordinary” to have very low average intelligence.
Therefore simple observation conclusively refutes any claim that Africans have very low average intelligence.
Do not call other posters trolls in this forum, even obliquely.
Knock it off.
[ /Moderating ]
brazil, I really don’t care if you “understand my argument.”
What you are saying is laughably absurd, akin to saying Chinese women have sideways vaginas. Fly in to, say, Lusaka. Have some beers, make some friends, maybe pick up some work. Perhaps find a girlfriend and visit her parents in the village. Then come back and tell us about it.
Yes. Through my wife’s previous job I have encountered a number of people with “below average” intelligence. I also work with people with several people with below average intelligence who are not profoundly disabled. These are people who are nice human beings who work at lower tier jobs, successfully, but in any interaction with them, it is very clear that they are not of average intelligence. There is no way that an entire country of such people would not present differently than a nation of people whose intelligence was average. It is absurd to claim otherwise.
In that case, our discussion is concluded. If you insist that “fairly ordinary” includes widespread illiteracy, it’s reasonable for me to ask exactly what you mean by “fairly ordinary.”