MOREFIELD: Race, Genetics, And IQ: Why The Great Taboo Is So Important To Discuss

September 04, 2026 3:27 PM ET Modern humans, particularly of the historic Western Civilization variety, are typically a non-confrontational, go-along-to-get-along bunch. There’s a limit, sure, but by and large we tend to avoid difficult truths in large part because we don’t want to hurt feelings. And if we have any reason whatsoever to believe a comfortable lie rather than a difficult truth, we’ll choose the lie almost every time.One influential view, often described as a “blank slate” conception of human nature, holds that differences between people are overwhelmingly shaped by environment rather than biology. There is an understandable appeal to that idea: If disparities are primarily the product of upbringing, institutions, or culture, then changing those conditions could change the out