A few nights back I was watching a television debate on religion. The setting was somewhat unusual and the comments much wittier than we're used to hearing. At one point intelligence was raised on the table referring to claims that atheists have higher IQ than believers. "Huh? I didn't get that," was the funny reply by the visiting pastor. Later one mouth said that this is proven by the popularity of religions in developing countries. !!! No one blinked or raised their eyebrows and the talk continued.
I was surprised how such comment can be acceptable in the year 2013.
In his book Guns, Germs and Steel Jared Diamond is arguing against such a claim. What seems to us as less developed does not imply to less intelligent. An example would be a New Guinean who knows thousands of plants and their possible uses. Or an aboriginal in Australia, who can easily survive in hot desert where yours truly would dry out in few hours. And he's not the first or the last making this point.
Apparently the whole book is there to explain why Europeans attacked and conquered other continents. Many have used the concept of IQ in justification of this history. Diamond's explanation is more or less due to things like chance, evolution, environment and climate. Somehow it's not enough. Though very understandable for a firm believer of evolution.
Biology does not explain greed, oppression, violence or hatred. Conquer of the New World was not about survival of the fittest it was about the dark nature of human being.
I believe that given the chance anyone of us could be the oppressor to some extent. This is where we need religion. Smart are those who realize it.
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