It's interesting how someone who has no problem taking on establishment opinions even when his side turns on him (foreign policy) is so squeamish about IQ. It really seems like a topic someone with strong egalitarian convictions will not be able to bring themselves to engage with seriously.
Though he claims not to be an expert in intelligence, he is not opposed to using the field to make very strong claims about where language emerged. For example: "We know by now that human language does not postdate about sixty thousand years ago. And the way you know that is that's when the trek from Africa started.” Why does it have to precede Out of Africa? Well, because language ability is so evenly distributed.
Even so, as he also believes it was a single mutation, he could actually choose a much more recent date. Humanity's last common ancestor, who everyone is related to, is likely this side of the ice age (according to population geneticists): https://twitter.com/AdamRutherford/status/1582343327311024128
An interview with Noam Chomsky: IQ, Dysgenics, & Existential Risk
It's interesting how someone who has no problem taking on establishment opinions even when his side turns on him (foreign policy) is so squeamish about IQ. It really seems like a topic someone with strong egalitarian convictions will not be able to bring themselves to engage with seriously.
Nice job asking these questions so we can see where he stands years later. I’m a bit surprised at these answers.
prestigious guest
Noam Chomsky is an expert in everything that is politically correct which, of course, requires no courage.
Though he claims not to be an expert in intelligence, he is not opposed to using the field to make very strong claims about where language emerged. For example: "We know by now that human language does not postdate about sixty thousand years ago. And the way you know that is that's when the trek from Africa started.” Why does it have to precede Out of Africa? Well, because language ability is so evenly distributed.
Even so, as he also believes it was a single mutation, he could actually choose a much more recent date. Humanity's last common ancestor, who everyone is related to, is likely this side of the ice age (according to population geneticists): https://twitter.com/AdamRutherford/status/1582343327311024128
It was worth trying to get him to comment on these questions, but it's a bad sign when most of the interviewer's comments are longer than the guest's.
If you ask me this interview shows that talking to Chomsky was a waste of time.