Thoughts on the future: Population, IQ, and Sterilization

[Heraclitus]

I'm pretty sure IQ correlates with income, so generally smart people should have more money to spend on their kids. I don't see how having kids is less affordable for intelligent people on average.

So you agree getting the same college degree for a kid of say an IQ of 100 is more expensive for the average 140 IQ than the average 80 IQ parent in absolute terms in the US?

I'll add that then there is the issue here of progressive taxation. Remember for high IQ people to capitalize on their high IQ they need have fairly demanding and specialized jobs that are found in cities that are rather expensive to move and live in.

[Heraclitus]

I can see how it could be, in terms of time and the pursuit of career etc. Not so much in terms of raw dollars.

Bets are off if you start talking about illegitimate children of the rich and powerful men in this world. There must be armies of such kids.

This is a vital angle. Low IQ parents are loosing what 15 dollars per hour they choose to spend with reproducing or rearing children, how much are intelligent people loosing? Assuming both smart and dumb people love their kids the same, how does that work incentive wise?

I however of course still stand behind the notion that children are more expensive in pure dollar terms for intelligent than less intelligent parents.

[giblets]

So you agree getting the same college degree for a kid of say an IQ of 100 is more expensive for the average 140 IQ than the average 80 IQ parent in absolute terms in the US?

More expensive? I would expect anyone with an IQ of 140 to be able to get a merit based scholarship.

I'll add that then there is the issue here of progressive taxation. Remember for high IQ people to capitalize on their high IQ they need have fairly demanding and specialized jobs that are found in cities that are rather expensive to move and live in.

Sure, but they're still much better off.

[Heraclitus]

More expensive? I would expect anyone with an IQ of 140 to be able to get a merit based scholarship.

The child has in both cases an IQ of 100.

Assume the average US parent of an IQ of 80, and the average parent with an IQ of a 140, which will need to spend more in absolute $ to get their child the degree.

[DriXnaK]

The problem is are they better off enough to warrant having more children? Which is exactly why those with higher IQ's have less children. They're smart enough to realize the opportunity cost of children and the direct real dollar cost of children.

[Al B. Sure!]

So you agree getting the same college degree for a kid of say an IQ of 100 is more expensive for the average 140 IQ than the average 80 IQ parent in absolute terms in the US?

I don't understand this question.

[Al B. Sure!]

The child has in both cases an IQ of 100.

Assume the average US parent of an IQ of 80, and the average parent with an IQ of a 140, which will need to spend more in absolute $ to get their child the degree.

The 80 IQ parents will likely not be making as much money as the 140 IQ parents so the kid from the dumber parents would be more likely to get financial aid but again, that's because he's more likely to need it than the other kid. However, either case, the kid has 100 IQ so what difference does it make?

[giblets]

The child has in both cases an IQ of 100.

Assume the average US parent of an IQ of 80, and the average parent with an IQ of a 140, which will need to spend more in absolute $ to get their child the degree.

I thought IQ was related to genetics? That example doesn't seem very relevant because smarter parents tend to have smarter children, right?

[Heraclitus]

Assuming smart parents love their children as much as poor parents one might easily make the argument that (if we control for income) in fact smart parent may get more "feel good as a parent" utility out of a dollar than a dumb parent, simply because they are capable of understanding that much more about what a child needs and what a child misses if he doesn't have that dollar.

Should smart parents be depressed about their parenting simply because they are smart enough to notice? Or should we reward them for good parenting while leaving the poor parents no worse off for wear.

[Al B. Sure!]

Assuming smart parents love their children as much as poor parents one might easily make the argument that (if we control for income) in fact smart parent may get more "feel good as a parent" utility out of a dollar than a dumb parent, simply because they are capable of understanding that much more about what a child needs and what a child misses if he doesn't have that dollar.

Should smart parents be depressed about their parenting simply because they are smart enough to notice? Or should we reward them for good parenting while leaving the poor parents no worse off for wear.

Wow take this and add Kuci's grand utility maximization calculator and you'd have one scary society.

[giblets]

The problem is are they better off enough to warrant having more children? Which is exactly why those with higher IQ's have less children. They're smart enough to realize the opportunity cost of children and the direct real dollar cost of children.

Is there some kind of study showing that people with higher IQ's are having less children?

[Al B. Sure!]

Is there some kind of study showing that people with higher IQ's are having less children?

Yeah he's posted it before. Smart Black women, especially, aren't having kids. Call it a Condi Rice/Oprah Winfrey effect.

[Heraclitus]

I thought IQ was related to genetics? That example doesn't seem very relevant because smarter parents tend to have smarter children, right?

First off:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regression_toward_the_mean


Kids will tend towards smarter or dumber on average depending on where their parents are at, that's the whole point of me being worried about this, however you need to demonstrate that in absolute dollar terms smarter children are cheaper for smarter parents enough to offset this if you are claiming this has no dysgenic effect.

[Al B. Sure!]

I don't see what the big deal is in your scenario, Hera. The kid has 100 IQ in either case. What difference does it make if the one with 80 IQ parents is statistically more likely to be poorer and therefore more eligible for financial aid? In fact, he's also statistically more likely to not even go to college, regardless of his IQ. By having a problem with financial aid or whatever else, you're further limiting his chances of going to college.

[giblets]

First off:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regression_toward_the_mean


Kids will tend towards smarter or dumber on average depending on where their parents are at, that's the whole point of me being worried about this, however you need to demonstrate that in absolute dollar terms smarter children are cheaper for smarter parents enough to offset this if you are claiming this has no dysgenic effect.

It still seems pretty unlikely that a 140 IQ parent's child and a 80 IQ parent's child will be anywhere close in terms of intelligence.