Townhall.com, Where Your Opinion Counts
Talk Radio:   Bill Bennett   Mike Gallagher   Dennis Prager   Michael Medved   Hugh Hewitt   
BREAKING NEWS  LeftArrow - Townhall.com : Conservative, Political, Republican   RightArrow - Townhall.com : Conservative, Political, Republican  
Columns, funnies & more in your inbox!
Login | What's Hot
  • Check the boxes and send us your email address to receveive your free newsletter
  • Your daily must-read of conservative columns, cartoons and news. Coulter, Sowell, Krauthammer and more.
  • Townhall.com’s weekly inside scoop on what’s happening behind the scenes in the world of politics. When news breaks, we report.
  • Signup to receive the latest daily Townhall cartoons
Tuesday, September 07, 2004
Mike Adams :: Townhall.com Columnist
My new single-question IQ test
by Mike Adams
Forward Print Share Single Page
Vote on It:
Average Vote:
[+] Text [-]
 
 
Poll
Will the Dems' health care Christmas Present to America be an improvement or detriment to our health care system?


Recently, a reader wrote to tell me that he had lost all faith in my intelligence because I made a derogatory remark about Charles Darwin in one of my recent editorials. The reader seemed to suggest that IQ could be measured with a single question. Apparently, his question was ?do you believe in evolution??

Of course, that is not a good question to use on a single-item IQ exam. Intelligent people know that, since it was created, evolution has evolved into two theories. Micro-evolution tries to use Darwinian principles to explain variations within species over time. Macro-evolution tries to use Darwinian principles to suggest that all species have evolved from primordial soup.

The latter theory is less than unproven. In fact, it isn?t even scientific. I believe that it is nothing more than the new religion of pseudo scientists who think that they are atheists. It is easy to fall prey to the mistaken belief that you are an atheist in the protected environment of academia. Trust me, I?ve been there.

Despite my disagreements with my reader/would-be IQ examiner, I do believe that he is on to something. Maybe we can measure IQ with a single question. You have to admit that the idea is appealing. If you get cornered at a cocktail party by someone who keeps making moderately stupid remarks, a single-question IQ test could be easily memorized and administered anywhere. And, of course, once a person has failed the exam, you can stop wasting your time in pointless conversation with someone you merely suspect to be stupid. Now, you?ll know for sure.

So I decided this morning that I was going to develop my own single-item IQ exam. But, after only a few minutes, I started having trouble deciding which question to use on my exam. There are so many good candidates for inclusion. For example:

1. Do you think that O.J. Simpson?s was framed?

2. Do you think that professional wrestling is real?

3. Do you think that the first moon landing was fake?

4. Do you think that Osama bin Laden wants George W. Bush to be re-elected because he?s afraid of John Kerry?

5. Do you think that Al Gore invented the internet?

6. Would you let your pre-teenage boy spend the night with Michael Jackson?

7. Have you ever made a contribution to PETA?

8. Do you think that Richard Simmons is straight?

9. Do you think that women should adopt a special diet to avoid prostate cancer?

10. Have you ever made a contribution to Benny Hinn?

11. Do bisexuals have male and female sex organs?

12. Is ?innuendo? an Italian term for suppository?

13. Are you more concerned about saving a convicted murderer than an unborn child?

14. Would you support an abortion of an unborn baby while protesting animal abortion?

15. Do you think that Bill Clinton uses Viagra? Continued...
1 2
| Full Article & Comments | Next >
Share:
Forward Print Single Page
Vote on It:
Average Vote:
 
About The Author
Mike Adams is a criminology professor at the University of North Carolina Wilmington and author of Feminists Say the Darndest Things: A Politically Incorrect Professor Confronts "Womyn" On Campus.
 
TOWNHALL DAILY: Be the first to receive Mike Adams' column. Sign up today and receive Townhall.com daily lineup delivered each morning to your inbox.

Join The Debate!

Post Your Comment
(1 comments so Far)
View in ascending order     View in descending order
Reply # 1
Date: Feb 22, 2007 - 6:37 AM EST
Micro vs. Macro Evolution
When you say "intelligent" people know evolutionary theory has evolved into two versions I have to correct you. Creationists and Intelligent Designers have always tried to pull these two apart because of the development of genetics proved beyond all possible doubt that genetic change must take place over time. Knowing they couldn't keep saying evolution isn't true, they ceded "micro" and continued to deny "macro" evolution.

You won't find any evolutionary biological textbook that even bothers distinguishing "micro" and "macro" evolution except when talking about intelligent design critics. I know; I teach evolutionary biology.

The entire distinction is a little silly and completely unquantifiable, e.g. "macro is a lot of change, micro is less..." And when you say macro evolution is unproven you're taking some liberties with your ignorance. Ask an evolutionary biologist what evidence there is that animals share common ancestors and that life itself was designed by a process of gene replication. You'll find that they have plenty of evidence and arguments to point to. Here's a few:

1. The information necessary for constructing different living organisms from HIV to roses to humans are made up of the same biochemical replicators namely RNA and DNA.

2. The difference between your DNA and a chimp's is remarkably little (sometimes estimated at 98%, but that's a little tricky depending on if you count alleles, genes, etc.). With sufficient technology we could create your identical twin from a the DNA of a chimp by rearranging the A, C, G and T amino acids and placing them in different orders. Hell, we could make your DNA out of cells from a rose if we wanted to.

3. All life on earth is "designed" for genetic replication. Animals care for their own young, not others of their species, they inject their own DNA into their offspring, they often care for kin, they develop complicated neural circuitry designed to keep them alive and capable of reproduction, etc. Pick up any book on behavioral ecology and you'll see hundreds of well documented examples. Animals are "gene machines" to borrow a phrase. And that IS evidence that they were designed by natural selection because that's the only kind of complicated machinery natural selection can create - replicators designed to replicate its genetic code.

4. Do I really have to point out fossil evidence?

5. mDNA clocks.

6. Why do whales have hand bones?

Ah... you know, I'm just too tired. If you're too lazy to pick up a simple book on evolution I'm too lazy to try to drag your mind into the evidence. If you have questions go ahead and post them and I'd be happy to answer them.

Flag as Offensive
Sign Up to Post Your CommentsSign Up to Post Your Comments
If you are already registered, click here to login. Otherwise, please take a few seconds to register with Townhall.com. Once you sign up, you’ll be able to post your comments immediately, use the action center, get podcasts, and more!
Note: Fields marked with a red asterisk (*) are required.
Salutation:
First Name:
*
Last Name:
*
Email:
*
Nickname:
*
Note: Nick name will be shown when you post comments.
Address 1:
*
Address 2:
City:
 *
State:
 *
Zip:
 *
Phone:
       
Your daily must-read of conservative columns, cartoons and news. Coulter, Sowell, Krauthammer and more.
(Bi-Weekly) We highlight the best opportunities from our partners for surveys, action items and more.