I.Q level is used as measure of intelligence. Though there are many disagreements on its credibility but still it is a measure of use of intelligence. Especially when we apply it to a group of people we can link it to certain issues. For example it could be a measure of progress of people as progress means more reliance on brain than body. We know the technologies are replacing physical works but at the same time the amount of mental works increased. As much reliance on technologies are increasing so the reliance on mental works are also increasing. Reliance on mental works is evolving brain. As I.Q is a type of mental measurement so it could be an indication of level of progress but here is another problem and that is spread of technology. As technologies are marketed massively into markets around the world with great diversities so these technologies are included in lives of people massively. This is also a factor in reliance on mental works. So it makes the position of I.Q as a weak measure of governance. Besides, weak governance make people on their own so people struggle harder in weak governments than strong governments, so here it is another factor that make position of I.Q weaker. As we saw there are many variables to I.Q which can affect the application of it in governance. However, one aspect that dominantly affects the I.Q level is education. Besides, it is not only education which affect I.Q level but educational standards that affect most. Hence the I.Q level dominantly could measure governance even in presence of variables like presence of technologies and struggles of people.
It is not only problem of technologies and educational services but certain other factors also which questions the application of I.Q levels. We know that I.Q has been used for political purposes especially in racist politics. I.Q has been used to prove the supremacy of a race over other. We know that a depressed person can’t use all potentials of his mind to a confident man. Similarly an oppressed group of people lose confidence to oppressors, so here oppressors can use the measurements like I.Q to legitimize their acts. When it comes to politics the science and scientific data are used to take favor of a public opinion. So, question arises, whether intelligence is a genetic adaptation or is the effects of environments. If it is genetically adopted then it is natural that genetically related groups, e.g., a race would remain backward. In this case progression is a natural act and these races couldn’t be helped. On contrary, if intelligence is the effects of environment then it is environment of people that caused them to be backward. We can help these people by changing their environment.
When we come to comparative studies, then the brain sizes is a very clear evidence of the intelligence. We know that reptiles are less intelligent than mammals and mammals are less intelligent than Homo sapiens. Certainly, brain sizes are correlated with intelligence in reptiles, mammals and Homo sapiens. Brain sizes are increasing respectively so are intelligences. As in case of Homo sapiens there are slight differences in brain sizes like brain size differences between men and women but the environment has greater influences as we have seen more intelligent women than men whose had better environments of educations and cultural learning. Black African Americans are socially and economically backward than white American, so the I.Q was used to correlate their backwardness with their low levels of intelligence. Anyone familiar with history of USA can easily correlate backwardness of Black African American to socially unjust treatments that had. They were brought to America as slaves so they were no educated and given rights to progress. Still when the slavery abolished from USA, again they were not given the rights to vote and they were treated as second citizen. It was the civil movements of 60’s that changed the course of lives of Black African American. Now in 2009, the world is evident of a Black as a president of USA. The history of Black African American is a clear evidence of effects of environment on intelligence beside slight genetic differences in humankind.
Until now, we are in position to conclude following results about intelligence:
1- Brain sizes are correlated with intelligence as it is evident in differences between brain sizes of reptiles, mammals and Homo sapiens. There are very small differences in brain sizes of human like difference between brain sizes of men and women.
2- Intelligence is an act of environment. Society can affect the intelligence of a group as it is evidenced from history of Black African American.
3- Intelligence could be learned as it is evidenced from rate of neuron connections to levels of use of brain areas. Certainly a geologist is more intelligent than others in identifications of rocks and minerals as he has practiced identification of rocks and minerals so his brain areas related in identification of rocks or minerals. May be this example confuse some individuals so we give a clearer example. Take example of an artist or a graphic designer. He is more intelligent than common men related to colors. They are more conscious about colors and shades of colors. Their brain areas related to identification of colors are like other people but with more neuron connections. The use of particular areas of brain increases the neuron connectivity and hence those areas of brain process the information more rapidly and hence one becomes more intelligent in those areas.
From these three first hand conclusions we can make a second hand of three conclusions as follows:
Intelligence is a function of:
a- Genetic adaptations
b- Social adaptations
c- Individual adaptations
As there is very less differences in genetics adaptations of men so the main reasons for the differences of intelligence in humankind is social adaptations and individual adaptations. Can government help its citizens in developing their intelligence? The answer is a clear YES. Before World War II the Japanese had 10 points less I.Q levels than white USA citizens. After the World War II the I.Q levels of Japanese rose 10 points higher than USA citizen. Certainly in this short time the genes can’t be evolved. Genetic evolution requires very long times in terms of human lives. What was the reason of rising of Japanese I.Q? With no doubt, the social reforms in Japan caused educational, technological and economical progress which raised the intelligence levels of Japanese. We can track back the intelligence levels into medieval ages and ancient times also. We can find particular ages in history of nations when they produced great men but later as their civilizations fall there no significant great men. The most noticeable example is that of ancient Greece. In golden times of ancient Greece, when there was real democracy in Athens, great philosophers and mathematicians born this shaped the human knowledge. But after fall of Greece to Romans the Greece failed to produce noticeable philosopher or mathematician till present times.
Conclusion: From our brief discussion, now it is evident there the I.Q could become the measure of governance. By introducing a standard educational system and providing equal but competitive opportunities the I.Q levels of people will raise. Better governance makes people able to focus on progressive works and hence people will use the education they got to become an active part of progression.
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