5 ms·

You may be right but what if IQ is downstream of GDP not the other way around? No dog in this fight, just a philosophical question.

jopython 9mo ago
The existing data leans heavily against "IQ is just downstream of GDP."
GMoromisato 9mo ago
I wish I could reply to the original post, but I can't because it is flagged. But if I could reply, I would say the following: This post is almost certainly wrong--as in, the existence of Big Foot is more likely. Take an example like Haiti vs. Dominican Republic, two halves of one island. Haiti at #175 is near the bottom of the list in GDP per person, while DR is #71--above both China and Mexico. And consider that as recently as 1960, both had similar GDP per person. And of course, there's the famous example of North Korea ($600 GDP per person) vs. South Korea ($50,000+ GDP per person). If countries can diverge so radically, even though they share very similar land and peoples, it is much more likely that the differences between rich countries and poor countries is due entirely to external factors, like governance and history, and not the IQ of people.
- bibimsz 9mo ago
  I will grant you that the most oppressive regime in the world does have an impact on GDP in Korea. But DR and Haiti are not the same genetically. Haitians African ancestry is 85% and 95%. In the Dominican Republic is 38% and 40%. So I don't see that as an exception to the rule.
  - GMoromisato 9mo ago
    But they were economically equal in 1960 with similar ancestry, so external factors must be the cause.
    - bibimsz 9mo ago
      it all muddy and impossible to untangle. probably better not to focus on any one example. but i will say that both countries were basically under US military control through the 1930s, so there are external forces at play. gdp growth rates as trajectories probably say more than snapshots. ultimately I think it's self-evident that some genetic groups are more capable of advanced thinking than others, and that it shows up in development scores. Other factors also matter. All life is equally valuable under God. Some perform better on economics.

jopython 9mo ago

The existing data leans heavily against "IQ is just downstream of GDP."

GMoromisato 9mo ago

I wish I could reply to the original post, but I can't because it is flagged. But if I could reply, I would say the following: This post is almost certainly wrong--as in, the existence of Big Foot is more likely. Take an example like Haiti vs. Dominican Republic, two halves of one island. Haiti at #175 is near the bottom of the list in GDP per person, while DR is #71--above both China and Mexico. And consider that as recently as 1960, both had similar GDP per person. And of course, there's the famous example of North Korea ($600 GDP per person) vs. South Korea ($50,000+ GDP per person). If countries can diverge so radically, even though they share very similar land and peoples, it is much more likely that the differences between rich countries and poor countries is due entirely to external factors, like governance and history, and not the IQ of people.

bibimsz 9mo ago
I will grant you that the most oppressive regime in the world does have an impact on GDP in Korea. But DR and Haiti are not the same genetically. Haitians African ancestry is 85% and 95%. In the Dominican Republic is 38% and 40%. So I don't see that as an exception to the rule.
- GMoromisato 9mo ago
  But they were economically equal in 1960 with similar ancestry, so external factors must be the cause.
  - bibimsz 9mo ago
    it all muddy and impossible to untangle. probably better not to focus on any one example. but i will say that both countries were basically under US military control through the 1930s, so there are external forces at play. gdp growth rates as trajectories probably say more than snapshots. ultimately I think it's self-evident that some genetic groups are more capable of advanced thinking than others, and that it shows up in development scores. Other factors also matter. All life is equally valuable under God. Some perform better on economics.