Helmuth Nyborg
| Helmuth Sørensen Nyborg | |
|---|---|
| Born | 5 January 1937 |
| Citizenship | Danish |
| Fields | Developmental psychology |
| Institutions | Aarhus University |
| Known for | Kayaking, Heritability of IQ, Sex and intelligence |
 |
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Helmuth Sørensen Nyborg (born 5 January 1937) is a former professor of developmental psychology at Aarhus University, Denmark. His main research topic is the connection between hormones and intelligence. Among other things, he has worked on increasing the intelligence of girls with Turner's syndrome by giving them estrogen. His research has been widely criticized, and in 2007, after having been accused of scientific misconduct, he received a warning from Aarhus University for producing research of unacceptably low quality. In 2007 he retired.[1][2] Nyborg's case is frequently cited as an example of how political correctness impedes science.[3]
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Nyborg is a controversial figure among the Danish public for his research on topics such as the inheritance of intelligence and the relationship between sex and intelligence. His article in Personality and Individual Differences (PAID), in which he reports a 5-point average IQ difference in favour of men,[4] has led to strong reactions in the Danish public and academia, for example in an editorial by the Danish newspaper Politiken. [5] A recent article proposing that migration from third world countries to Denmark would cause a dysgenic effect on the country's average IQ over time, has led to Nyborg being indicted to the Danish Council for Scientific Misconduct a second time, accused of committing scientific fraud by using statistic models of population growth known to be erroneous and for not properly attributing the source of the model.[6][7][8]
Nyborg has also made controversial statements regarding religious beliefs and ethnicity in relation to intelligence. He has argued that white people tend to be more intelligent than blacks and that atheists tend to be more intelligent than religious people.[9][dead link]
[edit] 2005 controversial paper
Even though his paper Sex-related differences in general intelligence g, brain size, and social status[4] had passed peer review in an expert scientific journal, Aarhus University assembled a committee to investigate accusations of scientific malfeasance and fraud, consisting of educational scientist Jan-Eric Gustafsson (Gothenburg), statistician Jens Ledet Jensen (Aarhus), and biostatistician Niels Keiding (Copenhagen). The report concludes that the work exhibits some lack of diligence from Nyborg's side, and that there were errors in Nyborg's work, but that the single, indisputable technical mistake does not allow any conclusions. The committee found no evidence of fraud. The report explicitly does not enter into a discussion of the correctness of Nyborg's research or the methodology of using the general intelligence factor.[10][dead link] Svend Hylleberg, the dean of the social science faculty of Aarhus University, reacted to the report by suspending Nyborg in 2006.
Hylleberg's decision led to strong reactions from international researchers, writing to the dean to protest against what they perceive as a witch-hunt.[11][dead link] Among the defenders of Nyborg's work are intelligence researchers J. Philippe Rushton and Linda Gottfredson who themselves have been at the centre of media attention. However, experts from other fields have also rallied to Nyborg's side. According to Fred M. Feinberg (University of Michigan), who works in econometrics and has followed Nyborg's work, the level of statistical rigour in Nyborg's research is well ahead of most in the field. He adds that he would be surprised if an investigation into the life's work of equally productive researchers would fail to find mistakes similar to or more serious than the inaccuracies in Nyborg's work, and that Nyborg's mistakes are unintentional, with few substantive consequences for his conclusions. A number of other researchers [12] made broadly similar points, among them many prominent methodologists[who?].
The reported male–female IQ difference in Nyborg's work is about 8 points. According to Rushton, his own research points to an IQ difference of 3.63, and the committees' analysis of Nyborg's data would imply a difference 4.55.[13]
On 21 September 2006, the university gave Nyborg a "severe reprimand", revoked his suspension, and declared the case closed.[14][15][dead link] After Nyborg's retirement in 2007 his severe reprimand was changed to a "warning" because of the unacceptable standard of the scientific research.[16]
[edit] Ties to extreme right wing organizations
Nyborg has been known to court neo nazi organizations. On May 28-29, 2011, he was a keynote speaker at the seminar, "Revolt against Civilization" [17] staged by the holocaust denial organization "Dansk Selskab for Fri Historisk Forskning" ("Danish Society for Free Historical Research"),[18] where he was also photographed alongside David Duke and two neo nazis.[19]
[edit] Olympic Kayaking
| Olympic medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
| Men's canoe sprint | ||
| Bronze | 1960 Rome | K-1 4 x 500 m |
Nyborg competed as a sprint canoer in the early 1960s. He won a bronze medal for Denmark in the K-1 4 x 500 m event at the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome.[20][21]
[edit] See also
[edit] Notes
- ^ Af Kirstine Lefevre Sckerl, klsc@stiften.dk. "Helmuth Nyborg i modvind igen - Aarhus". Stiften.dk. http://stiften.dk/aarhus/helmuth-nyborg-i-modvind-igen. Retrieved 2012-02-14.
- ^ Rune Lykkeberg. "Den forkerte mand". information.dk. http://www.information.dk/142683. Retrieved 2012-02-14.
- ^ BENEDICT CAREY. "Criticism of a Gender Theory, and a Scientist Under Siege".The New York Times,.
- ^ a b Helmuth Nyborg (August 2005). "Sex-related differences in general intelligence g, brain size, and social status". Personality and Individual Differences 39 (3): 497–509. doi:10.1016/j.paid.2004.12.011.
- ^ Leder i Dagbladet Politiken: G for galskab
- ^ AF Kasper Iversen. "Danmarks Statistik: Anmeldt professor bruger manipulerede tal" (in (Danish)). Politiken.dk. http://politiken.dk/videnskab/ECE1399421/danmarks-statistik-anmeldt-professor-bruger-manipulerede-tal/. Retrieved 2012-02-14.
- ^ "Omstridt forsker anklages for snyd og vildledning" (in (Danish)). Politiken.dk. http://politiken.dk/videnskab/ECE1397522/omstridt-forsker-anklages-for-snyd-og-vildledning/. Retrieved 2012-02-14.
- ^ "Helmuth Nyborg i ny uredelighed : FORSKERforum". Forskeren.dk. 1999-02-22. http://www.forskeren.dk/?p=1806. Retrieved 2012-02-14.
- ^ Planetary Governor, "Professor: Atheists are more intelligent than believers"
- ^ Jan-Eric Gustafsson, Jens Ledet Jensen, Niels Keiding, Report by "sagkyndigt udvalg til bedømmelse af Helmuth Nyborgs forskningsprojekt vedrørende kønsforskelle i intelligens", Aarhus, 2006 marts 2006.
- ^ Kim Hundevadt, "Forskere: Professor offer for heksejagt," Jyllands-Posten, 19 august 2006.
- ^ "Nyborgsagens dokumenter". eugenik.dk. http://eugenik.dk/aktindsigt. Retrieved 2012-02-14.
- ^ Article from Jyllandsposten
- ^ Anders Frølund, Rector’s decision regarding the Helmuth Nyborg case Public statement by the university, September 29, 2006
- ^ Lauritz B. Holm-Nielsen, Rector’s decision regarding the Helmuth Nyborg case English translation of decision sent to Nyborg on September 21, 2006.
- ^ "090707-Final Settlement of Nyborg Case". Au.dk. http://www.au.dk/en/about/news/oldnews/2007/090707/. Retrieved 2012-02-14.
- ^ "Revolt against Civilization: A two day private seminar in Denmark, May 2011 - Dansk Selskab for Fri Historisk Forskning". Holocaust.nu. 2011-06-02. http://www.holocaust.nu/nyheder/2011/06/revolt-against-civilization-a-two-day-private-seminar-in-denmark,-may-2011/. Retrieved 2012-02-14.
- ^ "Hjem - Dansk Selskab for Fri Historisk Forskning". Holocaust.nu. http://holocaust.nu. Retrieved 2012-02-14.
- ^ http://eugenik.dk/static/pdf/Ekstrabladet03juni2011fax.pdf
- ^ Nyborg, Helmuth (December 2009). "Curriculum Vitae" (PDF). http://www.helmuthnyborg.dk/Curriculum-Vitae/CV-December-2009.pdf. Retrieved September 19, 2010.
- ^ "Sports-reference.com profile". Sports-reference.com. http://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/so/helmuth-nyborg-sorensen-1.html. Retrieved September 19, 2010.
