I don't know - but I do fear for our "hammering down the heads that stick up too high..." which, yes, is an old Japanese proverb about not showing off too much.

I do think there is an anti-intellectual aspect to the pseudo-academic world of today - these rights "studies" degrees are harmful, as they perpetuate the splits instead of actually solving anything and moving past it. "Grievance Studies" seems to make even more grievances than trying to fix them.

It's not about logic, facts, and reason, it's about emotion and "the feels"...

That is another theory of "why" - but what's odd is that we are comfortable with a group isolated for 40,000 years, when the last of other not-quite-humans died out less than 20k years ago (and dna from them shows cross breeding in certain genetic markers) -

Bottom line: there are a lot of angles to human progression - and some of them are a bit uncomfortable to discuss. To dismiss it out of hand isn't wise, even if it ultimately is not completely true. I do think there are definite points in his talk, but I don't know if I completely agree, either.

Oh, and I will point out your last statement is factually incorrect. There are definite differences and lower intelligence on average in most of the isolated groups he discussed - and that is a matter of fact. That individuals in those groups still excel doesn't negate the fact that the average is lower.

That again is another uncomfortable fact to discuss.

Edit: one more thing: the Japanese are a good example of the homogeneity of that sub-race - they have a high average IQ, due mostly to the harsh climate and conditions of their existence, but they don't have the super highs or super lows that most other groups have - they have bred the spikes out - excellent out for the good, as it were.

Again, these are observations made by a lot of folks - but they are potentially explosive and used by racists and bigots. I don't point them out to deride anyone - everyone from the lowest IQ to the smartest has something to give to society - but denying it exists at all is a greater harm than acknowledging it and moving on.

@Paisley_Pirate Well, there's still a lot of debate about rating intelligence. It's possible that different types of intelligence are more beneficial in isolated groups than linguistic or logical-mathematical intelligence (there are 7 types of intelligence) which are valued in our culture. It might be an adaptive strategy for environment. It's possible that one could see a rise or drop in different intelligences in a group over time depending on need.

@AlexisS Certainly. But to be fair and honest about the discussion of range of the various types between groups is being shut down and called inherently hateful. This is very harmful and further drives the stereotypes instead of allowing to be a 'meh... and your point?' Moment. We don't solve racism by continually driving wedges, yet that's exactly what those who profit from race baiting do.

@Paisley_Pirate I'm pretty sure I was pooh-poohing the idea that these isolated groups killed off their intelligent members. lol The intelligence factor, I believe, is less important (there are minor differences that don't make it significant) than the cultural factors in man's progress.