In Defense of the ‘Moral Irrelevancy Position’ on IQ Group Differences

By Max Fairness

Group differences in IQ is perhaps the single most controversial topic in modern intellectual discourse. Unfortunately, the debate surrounding this topic tends to be misconceived: it often implicitly accepts the assumption that group differences in IQ would matter morally. Max Fairness argues against this assumption.

Based on common sense, Fairness defends what he calls the 'moral irrelevancy position' on IQ group differences, and argues that this position should generally be the main emphasis in response to this contentious debate.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Max Fairness
• Release date: Sep 29, 2023
• ISBN: 9798223648581

Book preview

The ‘Moral Irrelevancy Position’

Let me begin by saying a bit more about the position I am defending. My core moral claim is simply that we should treat individuals as individuals, with a commitment to treating everyone fairly. And IQ differences among groups of people, however we define those groups, would not challenge this basic moral principle.

Most fundamentally, I am advancing the rather uncontroversial moral claim that IQ differences are irrelevant to the inherent moral worth of individuals. This claim is probably obvious to virtually everyone when it comes to whatever IQ differences may exist between individuals in one’s closest family. And my claim is that this basic insight applies in all cases of IQ differences, not just intra-familial ones. Any position that would deem individual IQ differences irrelevant to the moral worth of individuals within one’s own family (or community or nation), while at the same time considering such individual differences to be relevant for individuals outside one’s family