Quote from Charles Murray:
Charles Murray set out this argument in a 2007 essay, Jewish Genius, writing that “something in the genes explains elevated Jewish IQ”. The Israeli 2005 Nobel Prize co-winner for chemistry, Aaron Ciechanover, puts it somewhat less crassly: “The human brain is the only natural resource that Israel possesses”.
But not only is this offensive, it is also reductionist, making Jewish Nobel success less of an achievement and more a fait accomplit. Is it any great win, after all, if you were born into greatness rather than earning it? It’s a form of the nature vs nurture argument.
Rather, writes Gerstl, it is “Jewish cultural values based on family upbringing, dedication to education, self-motivation, persistence, resilience in face of adversity, and just plain hard work” that “undoubtedly contribute to their success.”
