Q&A: The Jewish Genius
The Jewish Genius
Question
Hello Rabbi, in your opinion, what is the reason that Ashkenazi Jews are the smartest in the world, and is it connected to their being Jewish? And if so, why is no special wisdom evident among the other communities as well?
Answer
I’d be happy to answer after you tell me what the reason is that Ashkenazi Jews are the only ones who run marathons best, while all the other Jews can’t even manage to finish one hundred meters.
Discussion on Answer
Hello Rabbi Michi, your answer isn’t clear. The data on significantly higher IQ among Ashkenazim, compared to every other population in the world, are fairly clear. The question is how that happened.
Since I saw that in the past you asked for links, I’m attaching an extensive thread on this topic, with a variety of studies that confirm the general claim.
https://x.com/MatsVinnaren/status/1640594828466565120
I haven’t checked the data. One would need to examine whether a comparison was made between Ashkenazim and Mizrahim, and whether this was done across the world and not only in certain places where immigration there may have created a selection effect. As for Nobel Prizes, I once checked and was surprised to discover that the situation is the opposite: there are more Mizrahim than Ashkenazim.
If the data do turn out to be convincing, there could be all sorts of reasons for it. For example, natural selection. Those who went through a great deal of persecution needed intelligence and resourcefulness in order to survive. Beyond that, many have already pointed out that there are cultural biases in the construction of the tests themselves.
I didn’t understand.