UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, BERKELEY

 

 

BERKELEY * DAVIS + IRVINE * LOS ANGELES * RIVERSIDE * SAN DIEGO * SAN FRANCISCO SANTA BARBARA * SANTA CRUZ

 

 

 

A Tribste te INe People of Calitornia

SCHOOL OF EDUCATION BERKELEY, CALIFORNIA 94720

October 2h, 1969

Mr. Lewis Bergman, Editor
The New York Times Magazine
The New York Times

Times Square

New York, N. Y.

Dear Mr. Bergman:

I wieh to let you know that in my opinion Mr. Lee Edson's article
on "jensenism” was the clearest and most accurate presentation of my
views that I have yet seen anywhere in the popular press. Both Mr. Edson
and the N. Y. Times are to be commended for the publication of this
article. However, I must bring to your attention one unfortunate and
grossly misleading inaccuracy which occurs, not in Edson's article, but
in the major picture caption on the first page of the article. I refer
to the statement: "...no amount of compensatory education will improve
this ability since it is mainly inherited.” I have never said this, nor
do I velieve it. The fact that a trait has a genetic basis does not make
it immutable. Although learning ability has a genetic component, persons
can obviously improve their knowledge and skilis through learning. If
this were not the case, any kind of education would be useless for all per-
sons. Musical talent, like intelligence, is genetically conditioned, but
it amounts to little without training and practice, and without a tremendous
amount of study and practice there would never be a Heifetz or a Rubinstein.
The genes make for differences in attainments among persons given equal
opportunities for learning; they do not fix an absolute level of learning
and performance.

Sincerely yours,

Arthur R. Jensen
Professor

ARJ ‘rma

ec Mr. Lee Edson