For the past few days I've been blogging on racial differences in the short and long distance Olympic races. I noted Jon Entine's argument that such differences may have a biological origin, a taboo subject because once we start talking about physical differences, perhaps some people might then begin to suspect differences of intelligence between the races.
In my book The End of Racism I argued against such differences, noting instead that culture is a far better explanation of ethnic differences in intellectual achievement and economic performance. But when we turn to the issue of men and women, I note an anomaly.
No one denies that men are taller and stronger than women on average. This explains of course why competitive sports is based on the "separate but equal" principle. Men play against men, and women play against women. Segregation on the basis of gender appears to have an obvious rational basis in physical contests of speed and strength.
Yet one of my favorite games, namely chess, is not such a contest. Rather, chess is entirely based on intellectual capacity. It involves planning, calculation, strategy. One would assume that since men and women are equally intelligent, therefore women should be fully competive with men in chess. But it is not so. Consider: of the top 100 players in the USA currently, only two are women. Even more startling, of the top 100 chess players in the world today, only one is a woman.
So embarrassing is male over-representation at the top level that most chess competitions today are divided into two categories. There is a general category that is almost inevitably won by a man, and then there is a separate women's championship obviously designed to give women a chance to succeed as well. Currently there is a World Chess Champion and a World Women's Champion. Somehow the chess world seem to have adjusted to the reality that int his particular mental contest, women simply aren't as good as men.
Can culture account for the difference between the sexes? Actually no. Culture can help to explain why certain countries like Russia are more dominant in chess. They simply play a lot more chess over there. But culture doesn't explain why Russian males are so much better than Russian females in chess. I am not aware of an historical exclusion of women from chess, and even if there was some past discrimination, how come women still fare so poorly in an age of equality? Of the top 20 junior chess players in the world, there isn't a single woman. So in these respects the cultural explanation falters.
Are we forced to conclude then that men are smarter than women, at least when it comes to chess? Not really. The average IQ of both groups is 100. But when it comes to the bell curve distribution, an interesting difference emerges. The female bell curve is taller and narrower, with the vast majority of women bunched in the middle. The male bell curve is shorter and flatter, with more men at both ends of the distribution. What this means is that there are more male geniuses and more male morons. And this would effectively account for why at the very top level of an intellectual contest like chess, we find far more men than women.
Reader Comments ( Page 3 of 15)
31. Once we taught computers to play chess, no human could match the raw computing power to win consistently against a simple machine.
But is this 'intelligence'?
And women? Frankly, I think they don't play as much because they have better things to do.
Robert at 12:14PM on Aug 24th 2008
32. This essay raises questions:
-Is Dinesh taller and stronger than most women?
-At which end of the Bell Curve does his IQ fall? Certainly not the Genius end...
-What does it tell us that of all the backwards, superstitious, Republican, christian, racist, sexist and homophobics who have a public forum, only one is Indian-born?
Bill
bill at 12:19PM on Aug 24th 2008
33. I think liberal values contribute the most to this gender confusion and chaos
Rev 3:16 at 11:47AM on Aug 24th 2008
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Hi, Rev.
Your parroting of Ms. Parker's hackneyed old arguments is right up there with your usual standards.
naturalpuppy at 12:30PM on Aug 24th 2008
34. Rev
Really? REALLY?
You think women are having illegitimate babies with “cool” guys because society has exalted single motherhood? Because society encourages women to work and not stay at home?
Perhaps woman are having illegitimate babies with "cool" guys because sexual education is under constant fire by the far right? Perhaps woman are working because NO ONE CAN AFFORD to support a family on a single income anymore?
Wow, way to read liberal conspiracy into, well everything.
fed up at 12:47PM on Aug 24th 2008
35. Men are not more intelligent than women, but testosterone makes them more aggressive.
Bob at 12:47PM on Aug 24th 2008
36.
Here's an overview of an exhaustive brain study, with gender differences - and Einstein's brain.
http://www.latimes.com/news/science/la-sci-brainsex16jun16,0,5806592,full.story
Very interesting, and a little surprising.
ex-christian at 12:49PM on Aug 24th 2008
37. Wow: DD got through an entire "article" without once using the words "atheist / dogmatice atheist" (same thing in his book) or "liberals." You're slacking, DD...
DD's entire proposal here is weak (as usual): chess is about much more than intelligence and, as it is, hardly encompasses the entire range of what we understand intelligence to be.
Typical Conservatism on display, though; he's far more concerned with the differences, rather than the similarities, between us. Make of that what you will. Just like certain totalitarian and fascist leaders I can think of...
Ian X. Christian at 12:50PM on Aug 24th 2008
38. Hello Natural Puppy.
I haven’t been able to get to the computer much lately, despite the fact that I have been very eager to get a response back to you (from our earlier discussion about naturalism and morality). I have a response ready, but I’m wondering where I should post it. Anywhere is fine with me, but I’d suggest a certain message board I frequent at a C.S. Lewis site. There I can make a single thread to which we can respond directly, instead of here and there under different thread headings. We could do the same on my blog as well. Anyway, let me know and keep an eye out. My apologies for taking so long.
Here's a link to the board: http://cslewis.drzeus.net/forums/viewforum.php?f=25&sid=7145baa785c0d93f43c0f9fd02b5d9b6
I go by the screen name Kolbitar there, but I always sign off as Jesse...
If you prefer my blog instead, just click on my name.
Talk to you soon...
Jesse at 1:20PM on Aug 24th 2008
39. P.S. Abbot #18
They did... it's called the "Book of Mormon".
BWAAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!
(Poof!)
Robert at 1:38PM on Aug 24th 2008
40. DD I would say if most men are like you, it would stand to reason that it is not true that men are smarter than women.
Ray
R Shanker at 2:54PM on Aug 24th 2008
41. To say that men are meaner than women is a lie. Women are more deceptive when it comes to lying where men blatently will just lie and enjoy the fact that you know they are.
Many women say that they are smarter than men. I've seen women that say this, but yet they never want their decisions questioned to prove if this is true.
The discussion here seems to be whether it's a factor of nature vs. nurture and probably the only true way you may see the truth of this is to talk to transsexuals. Seriously. You have people who's mind is structured as the sex opposite to the one that they are born as. When studying them, you'll see the true result of nature vs. nurture.
Men are more competitive and have the drive to win at chess. Women may play more for the fun of the game and won't necessarily care if they win or lose. Men may look at it as a battle against their opponent and would sacrifice pieces to achieve that end where a woman would take a different approach and might not achieve the same result. In a world where some women don't like to program or claim to not be proficient at computers which is a result of social conditioning, you can't use a subjective tool such as chess and usage of strategy to determine intelligence. Some people can't strategize and much like they say about those who can't spell in English, it's not really a sign of intelligence. Even stupid people can spell.
Lauren Glenn at 3:35PM on Aug 24th 2008
42. Looking for arguments to steal to put into your book?
If you don't know the answer to your question, your brain is living in the 19th century.
Men are not smarter than women.
Are women smarter than men?
Bettybb at 7:29PM on Aug 24th 2008
43. It's very simple...
Women always use the most non-threatening man to do their thinking for them as KING. The women as a band concentrate on evolving different languages to communicate outside the social norms. The victims are the men forced into jobs of labor. No thinking, subordination to women, MORONS. The evolution of intelligent males is based on appearing to be the weakest, thus the DECLINE OF MAN. Congratulations to the victors... if there are any!
joker at 3:50PM on Aug 24th 2008
44. 23. Chess is a game of warlike behaviors. Is it any wonder why women don't surpass men while engaging in this game? Sheesh,,give us a break. How about "testing" female knowledge in an enviroment of ethics and moraltiy?
Diane at 10:50AM on Aug 24th 2008
xxxxx
My first thought too. My second was that a lot of women were probably too smart to get engaged in an invoution like chess that wasted time that could be put to more personally rewarding use.
Clif Kuplen at 4:13PM on Aug 24th 2008
45.
The cultural result is that boys grow up without fathers, so they do not know how to be good men, but instead they learn how to be good women.
xxx
One of these days you're going to have to go home and tell your mommy you got your ass kicked by someone that learned to be a good woman.
Since you probably haven't had pussy since pussy had you with that attitude, I'll let you in on a secret. Vaginas don't have teeth and you can put your peepee into one and get it out without getting it bitten off.
But you gotta be fast, and you appear to be only half fast so maybe you should err on the side of caution.
One thing is certain. You're not much more likely to breed than lesbians - less likely, actually, thank any number of gonesh's goofy gods.
Clif Kuplen at 4:57PM on Aug 24th 2008