The Mythical Taboo on Race and Intelligence

Recent discussions have revived old claims that hereditarian research on race differences in intelligence has been subject to a long and effective taboo. We argue that given the extensive publications, citations, and discussions of such work since 1969, claims of taboo and suppression are a myth. We critically examine claims that (self-described) hereditarians currently and exclusively experience major misrepresentation in the media, regular physical threats, denouncements, and academic job loss. We document substantial exaggeration and distortion in such claims. The repeated assertions that the negative reception of research asserting average Black inferiority is due to total ideological control over the academy by “environmentalists,” leftists, Marxists, or “thugs” are unwarranted character assassinations on those engaged in legitimate and valuable scholarly criticism.

For several decades, hereditarian researchers who focused on race¹ have claimed that they face special hurdles in conducting, publishing, and publicizing their research. Many claim that “work supporting hereditarianism can be much more difficult to publish and disseminate, and research testing the possible genetic basis of race differences is rarely funded” (Cofnas, 2020, p. 132; see also...