The DNA Age

Credit the NY Times for carrying a front page article on Sunday about the sensitive subject of DNA, race and intelligence. This is the ultimate taboo subject for the liberal intelligentsia in the West and it is out of character for the Times to discuss this in a fairly balanced manner. Of course, they did have the usual repeated warnings about the "danger" of the subject voiced by various scientists and sociologists. This is tolerable and acceptable even, in a balanced article (a rare thing in the NY Times on politically incorrect topics).

Of course, the issue is not whether and to what extent something called "intelligence" is genetically determined (probably it is to some extent, at least) or that "race" has a genetic basis; it was absurd to ever deny that. The issue is that the denial was for "sociological" and ideological reasons, not scientific ones.

It is unacceptable for so-called "knowledge elites" to put any field of scientific study out of bounds because the research may lead to "unacceptable" conclusions, a rationale that is given very frequently for opposition to research in the field or to even casual comments (see, for example, poor Dr. James Watson). It is especially disingenuous for liberals who insist on the absolute pursuit of truth, even if it upsets the sensibilities of more conservative people, as long as they are white and christian of course; NOT any member of a "protected" class, naturally.