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Can you point to some of that reading? Pedantically, that goes against the definition of IQ, where 100 is always average so it can't really increase over time,
by burkaman 6y ago
Can you point to some of that reading? Pedantically, that goes against the definition of IQ, where 100 is always average so it can't really increase over time, but your general point about people getting smarter doesn't intuitively make sense to me. Obviously we have more knowledge and resources to build on today, but I've never seen any reason to believe modern humans are smarter from birth than humans born 300 years ago.
- user982 6y agohttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flynn_effect https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flynn_effect
- deleted 6y ago[deleted]
- oakschris 6y agoSee the Flynn Effect https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flynn_effect https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flynn_effect IQ by definition averages to 100, but if you compare present populations to past populations without the normalization there's a significant difference.
- greenshackle2 6y agohttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flynn_effect https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flynn_effect I'm no expert but my impression is that it's a widely accepted finding in psychology. The average IQ is 100 by definition and constantly adjusted, yes, but you can keep track of which way it's being adjusted. My fairly uneducated guess would be improved nutrition and reduced disease burden are big factors.
- chrchang523 6y agoSeveral responders have brought up the Flynn Effect. It's relevant. As a sign of how far the Western ruling class has gone down the rabbit hole, though, note that Flynn's own take on the broader context is now beyond the pale: https://quillette.com/2019/09/24/my-book-defending-free-speech-has-been-banned/ https://quillette.com/2019/09/24/my-book-defending-free-spee... .