Eric Siegel answers “Why is Charles Murray's white nationalist...”

Kfreed asked this question about The Bell Curve: Intelligence and Class Structure in American Life:

Why is Charles Murray's white nationalist book so intriguing to some people? The man preaches Nazi-style eugenics for Pete's sake: Southern Poverty Law Center: "Charles Murray has become one of the most influential social scientists in America, using racist pseudoscience and misleading statistics to argue that social inequality is caused by the genetic inferiority..." https://www.splcenter.org/fighting-hate/extrem

Eric Siegel "The Bell Curve" endorses prejudice by virtue of what it does not say. Nowhere does the book address *why* it investigates racial differences in IQ. B…more"The Bell Curve" endorses prejudice by virtue of what it does not say. Nowhere does the book address *why* it investigates racial differences in IQ. By never spelling out a reason for reporting on these differences in the first place, the authors transmit an unspoken yet unequivocal conclusion: Race is a helpful indicator as to whether a person is likely to hold certain capabilities. Even if we assume the presented data trends are sound, the book leaves the reader on his or her own to deduce how to best put these insights to use. The net effect is to tacitly condone the prejudgment of individuals based on race.

... Astonishingly, this tome's hundreds of pages never actually specify what one is meant to do with the information about racial differences, and never attempt to steer readers clear of racial prejudgment. That's an egregious, reckless oversight, considering this is a pop science bestseller that comprehensively covers great numbers of subtopics and caveats, maintaining a genuinely proficient and clear writing style throughout. So we must call this book what it is: racist.

Above is an excerpt from my lengthier Scientific American blog article about this book, easily found online.

Below expounds further in light of more recent comments in response to my writing.

A study showing one race performs lower on average than another (on IQ test, in this case) can be used to either benefit or harm members of that race. So therein lies my point: Which of the two is it? If there's to be a way such analysis could be put to use, it would be one or the other. And given it has been heavily on the "harm" side historically, researchers who don't clarify the intent are truly tone deaf.

This is a social point I am making, not a technical one. And I am not suggesting the data be censored. Rather, I am making a point about the intent conveyed/communicated by any given report/book/piece.

Eric Siegel, Ph.D.
Founder, Predictive Analytics World
Author, Predictive Analytics: The Power to Predict Who Will Click, Buy, Lie, or Die
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