Controversial IQ Research by Richard Lynn Deemed "Flat Lie" by Critics

Recent discussions on social media have reignited scrutiny over the intelligence research conducted by the late Richard Lynn, a figure widely described as a "scientific racist" and eugenicist. A tweet from user "arctotherium" directly challenged Lynn's findings, stating, "This is a flat lie, and you can make estimates that don't use Lynn's numbers at all and the results come out the same, as several totally independent traditions (economists or educators), have." This sentiment reflects a long-standing academic and public outcry against Lynn's methodologies and conclusions.

Richard Lynn, who passed away in 2023, was known for his controversial "national IQ database" and theories positing inherent differences in intelligence across racial and national groups. His work frequently claimed that certain populations, particularly those in sub-Saharan Africa, had significantly lower average IQs, often below the threshold for intellectual disability. These claims have been a cornerstone of "scientific racism" ideology.

However, Lynn's research has faced widespread condemnation from the scientific community for its lack of rigor and systematic bias. Critics, including prominent economists and educators, argue that his data was selectively compiled and often based on unrepresentative or extremely small samples. For instance, some of Lynn's national IQ estimates were derived from as few as 19 individuals, or from specific groups like children in orphanages, rather than nationally representative populations.

Academics like Jelte Wicherts of Tilburg University have demonstrated that Lynn systematically excluded studies showing higher IQ scores for African populations, indicating a deliberate manipulation of data to support his predetermined conclusions. Furthermore, the widely recognized "Flynn effect," which observes a significant increase in average IQ scores over generations due to environmental improvements like nutrition, health, and education, directly contradicts Lynn's emphasis on fixed, innate intelligence. Many researchers, including Jim Flynn himself, attribute observed IQ differences between populations primarily to environmental factors.

Lynn's work was heavily cited in the controversial 1994 book The Bell Curve and was often funded by the Pioneer Fund, an organization criticized for promoting racist and eugenic agendas. In 2018, Ulster University, where Lynn held emeritus status, revoked his title following student protests against his "racist and sexist" views. Major academic publishers like Elsevier and Springer are currently facing calls to retract Lynn's papers due to their flawed nature and the ideological motivations behind them, highlighting the ongoing effort to correct the scientific record.