However, I think he's a little too quick to go with complete agnosticism. As Half Sigma has been documenting, researchers have found some of those genes, and they're not evenly distributed by race. Also, as William Saletan's article pointed out, brain size itself varies by race, and we've identified those genes. There's still what I've called "wiggle room," but the preliminary evidence is pointing (or at least gesturing) in one direction.
Also, regarding that Saletan article series, Ross Douthat notes a correction in which Saletan apologized for citing J. Philippe Rushton. Saletan realized:
For the past five years, J. Philippe Rushton has been president of the Pioneer Fund, an organization dedicated to "the scientific study of heredity and human differences." During this time, the fund has awarded at least $70,000 to the New Century Foundation. To get a flavor of what New Century stands for, check out its publications on crime ("Everyone knows that blacks are dangerous") and heresy ("Unless whites shake off the teachings of racial orthodoxy they will cease to be a distinct people"). New Century publishes a magazine called American Renaissance, which preaches segregation. Rushton routinely speaks at its conferences.
Douthat's right -- it's hard to believe Saletan researched and wrote a whole IQ article without realizing Rushton was controversial. It's troubling that the Pioneer Fund supported such a fringe group and Rushton speaks at its conferences.
But I would like to point out that the fund has played a major role in mainstream studies:
Two of the Pioneer Fund's most notable recipients are the Minnesota Twin Family Study and the Texas Adoption Project, which studied the similarities and differences of identical twins and other children adopted into non-biological families.
Any psychology student has heard of those two, so let's not discount Pioneer entirely.
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