Theories of Richard Lynn: “Racial Realism” or Scientific Racism?
- Giorgia Ruffini
- Sep 19, 2024
- 4 min read
Updated: Sep 12
By Marianna Osipova.
Richard Lynn, a British psychologist (1930–2023), was known for his highly controversial works on intelligence, race, and national wealth, including IQ and the Wealth of Nations, Race Differences in Intelligence, and IQ and Global Inequality. Throughout his career, Lynn concentrated on purported correlations between intelligence (as measured by IQ—Intelligence Quotient) and factors such as race, national wealth, and geography. He held the title of professor emeritus at Ulster University until it was revoked in 2018, and served as assistant editor of Mankind Quarterly, a journal criticized for promoting white supremacist ideologies.
Lynn’s body of work invites the critical question: Was he a “racial realist”, as some of his supporters claim, or a proponent of scientific racism, advancing both racist and sexist views under the guise of academic inquiry?
Many scholars argue the latter...
Lynn’s research has been widely criticized as pseudoscientific and racially biased, with his conclusions often built on unreliable data and unfounded assumptions. For instance, in his publication Race Differences in Intelligence: A Global Perspective (1991), Lynn argued that cold climates and harsh winters were the primary drivers behind the evolution of populations with higher IQ scores.
He suggested that the adaptive challenges of colder environments fostered greater intelligence, while populations from warmer regions, which he claimed exhibited lower intelligence, did not face such evolutionary pressures. This theory, however, was built on flawed and biased IQ measurements and has been repeatedly debunked through a range of scientific evidence and critiques (e.g., see this, this, and this).
Lynn’s climate-IQ hypothesis proposed a causal link between climate and both IQ and brain size, but this hypothesis collapses under scrutiny. It relies on the common logical fallacy that correlation implies causation, a principle routinely debunked in scientific research.
CAUSATION ≠ CORRELATION
While there may be correlations between climate and certain socioeconomic or educational outcomes, assuming a direct causal relationship between climate and intelligence is akin to absurd correlations, such as those popularized by Tyler Vigen (2015). For instance, Vigen humorously highlights correlations like "per capita cheese consumption" and "the number of people who died by becoming tangled in their bedsheets", or "letters in the winning word of the Scripps National Spelling Bee" and "the number of people killed by venomous spiders" (see figures below).
Lynn’s climate-based theory fails to account for a wide range of confounding variables that more plausibly explain differences in IQ scores across populations. Intelligence is shaped by numerous factors, including individual development, access to education, socioeconomic conditions, and the historical context of regions, such as the impacts of colonization and governance. It is highly unlikely that a single variable like climate could fully explain differences in measured intelligence.
To assert such a causal link oversimplifies a complex issue, ignoring the many cultural, environmental, and systemic factors that influence cognitive development and performance.
While climate can indeed influence productivity and efficiency, it is a stretch to argue that it directly drives evolutionary changes in intelligence or brain size. As Singapore’s founding father, Lee Kuan Yew, observed, “Air conditioning was one of the signal inventions of history. It changed the nature of civilization by making development possible in the tropics” (Lee Kuan Yew, 2009), highlighting the role of technology, infrastructure, and human ingenuity in shaping development—factors that Lynn’s hypothesis largely overlooks.
INFLUENCE AND SOCIAL PROOF IN THE ACADEMIC WORLD
Beyond the scientific flaws in his theories, Lynn’s work is often categorized as academic racism, a form of discrimination that uses the authority of science to legitimize harmful ideologies. By manipulating data to support preconceived, ethnically prejudiced views, Lynn’s research not only perpetuated harmful stereotypes but also influenced a segment of the public to accept these views as scientifically valid. This exploitation of scientific authority demonstrates the dangers of conformity bias and social proof, where individuals are swayed by the appearance of credibility and popular opinion, leading to poor decision-making and groupthink.
In essence, Richard Lynn’s body of work represents a troubling example of how pseudoscientific ideas can gain traction when cloaked in the language of academia. His theories, based on biased data and faulty reasoning, have been repeatedly refuted by rigorous scientific evidence. Whether viewed through the lens of his discriminatory beliefs or the broader context of scientific rigor, Lynn’s work falls short of the standards expected of credible academic inquiry. SO...
QUESTION EVERYTHING YOU KNOW.
Without doubt, beyond the academic discourse lie real human consequences. Lynn’s theories, which reduced individuals to data points, fueled stereotypes that shaped perceptions, opportunities, and lives.
For many, his work wasn’t merely abstract theorizing—it impacted how entire populations were viewed and treated. This serves as a stark reminder that research is never just an intellectual exercise; it shapes how we understand each other, how we make decisions, and how we influence the trajectory of societies. When science is misused to dehumanize and distort, the harm it causes engrains for generations.
Sources
BBC. (2018). Ulster University withdraws status from Prof Richard Lynn. Retrieved from
Lee, K. (2015). Singapore’s founding father thought air conditioning was the secret to his
country’s success. Vox. Retrieved from https://www.vox.com/2015/3/23/8278085/singapore-lee-kuan-yew-air-conditioning
Lynn, R. (1991). Race differences in intelligence: A global perspective. Mankind quarterly, 31(3),
255-296.
Vigen, T. (2015). Spurious Correlations. Tylervigen.com. Retrieved from
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