[jyscao]

>how can the father of genetic science be wrong about the influence of genetics on society? - while the truth dashes that credibility

That's your own biased judgment. Others may perceive what happened as Watson speaking truth to power, and paying the price for it.

[underlipton]

I think you misunderstood. In referring to "truth", I wasn't addressing the veracity of Watson's statements (which, however you come down on that, were objectively racist, in the sense of making judgments based on race). I was talking about his impropriety, the truth of which even TFA admits (even if it emphasizes his attempts to later "correct" the record). Watson used a colleague's work in a way that appears less than on-the-level. Watson misrepresented the events of the discovery in which he played a major part. That is what would lead a dispassionate observer, without bias, to reasonably question his statements, especially ones which we are expected to accept, in part, based on the strength of his record.

[jojobas]

He was not judging based on race, he was asserting that other attributes are correlated with race.

[underlipton]

He was making a prediction of capability, based on attributes which he chose to couch in terms of race, and which have inconclusive applicability to the capability in question. Notably, those attributes are known to be affected by, as opposed to the cause of, the outcomes which that capability is supposed to effectuate.

[phs318u]

If you’re referring to Watson’s 2007 claim that Africa is unlikely to succeed n part because of the inhabitants’ inferior intelligence, as the “truth” he is speaking to “power” perhaps it is you who are biased.

[notsosec]

Power in the sense he got completely cancelled in the west for saying things that are not considered taboo in other parts of the world.

[saghm]

I think most people consider "truth" to require a higher threshold than "some people believe it somewhere".

[peterfirefly]

The problem is that all our empirical data back up his (quite mild) point of view, whether we like it or not. I don't like it and don't think he does either.