J. Philippe Rushton facts for kids

John Philippe Rushton (born December 3, 1943 – died October 2, 2012) was a Canadian psychologist and writer. He taught at the University of Western Ontario. He became known in the 1980s and 1990s for his research on topics like human groups and intelligence, and human groups and crime.

Many scientists strongly criticized Rushton's work. They said his research was not good quality and was based on racist ideas. From 2002 until he died, he led the Pioneer Fund. This group was started in 1937 to promote eugenics, which is a harmful idea about improving the human race by controlling who can have children. This group has been called racist and a hate group. Rushton also wrote for and spoke at events held by a group called American Renaissance, which promotes white supremacist views.

In 2020, the psychology department at the University of Western Ontario said that "much of [Rushton's] research was racist." They also stated it was "deeply flawed from a scientific standpoint." They added that "Rushton's legacy shows that the impact of flawed science lingers on." By 2021, six of Rushton's research papers were taken back. This happened because they were found to be "unethical, scientifically flawed, and based on racist ideas."

Early Life and Education

Rushton was born in Bournemouth, England. When he was four, his family moved to South Africa. They lived there for four years. His father worked as a building contractor. His mother was from France.

Later, his family moved to Canada. Rushton spent most of his teenage years there. He went back to England for university. In 1970, he earned a degree in psychology from Birkbeck College. In 1973, he received his Ph.D. in social psychology from the London School of Economics. His Ph.D. work was about altruism in children. He continued his studies at the University of Oxford until 1974.

Later Career and Life

Rushton taught at York University in Canada from 1974 to 1976. Then he taught at the University of Toronto until 1977. He later moved to the University of Western Ontario. He became a full professor there in 1985. In 1992, he earned another science degree (D.Sc.) from the University of London.

His research caused many public debates. For example, Ontario Premier David Peterson called Rushton a racist. In 2005, a newspaper called The Ottawa Citizen said Rushton was the most famous university professor in Canada.

He wrote over 250 articles and six books. Two of his books were about altruism. He also helped write a textbook for introductory psychology.

Rushton died from cancer on October 2, 2012. He was 68 years old.

Research and Ideas

Genetic Similarity Theory

Early in his career, Rushton studied altruism. Altruism is when you help others without expecting anything in return. He believed that altruism could be passed down through genes. He created the Genetic Similarity Theory. This idea suggests that people tend to be more helpful to others who are genetically similar to them. This is true even if they are not family members. He also thought people might be less helpful, or even unfriendly, to those who are less genetically similar.

Rushton suggested that "ethnic conflict" (problems between different groups of people) might come from this idea. He thought groups might naturally favor others who are genetically similar.

Other scientists criticized this theory. They said his evidence was flawed. Some said he misunderstood how genes work. Others pointed out that he did not explain how people would know if someone had an "altruism gene." They also said that other things, like age or social groups, are much more important in predicting who people help.

Rushton and a colleague studied how much parents grieved after a child died. They found that parents grieved more for children they felt looked more like them. Another study looked at similarities between married couples. It found that spouses were more alike in traits that are passed down through genes.

Rushton also studied personality traits among different groups of people. He found that identical twins were more similar to each other than fraternal twins. Identical twins also chose friends and partners who were more like their twin's friends and partners. He believed this showed a genetic link to these choices.

Ideas on Human Groups and Intelligence

Rushton spent much of his career arguing that average IQ differences between human groups were due to genetics. This idea was very controversial. Today, most scientists strongly disagree with this view. His research included studying brain size and the effects of people from different groups mixing.

In 2020, his former university department stated that Rushton's work on human groups and intelligence was "based on an incorrect assumption." They said this idea helps "systemic racism." They also stated that his work showed "a complete misunderstanding of population genetic measures." This means he did not correctly understand how genes work in groups of people.

Applying r/K Selection Theory

In his 1995 book, Race, Evolution, and Behavior, Rushton tried to use a theory called r/K selection. This theory is usually used to explain how different animal species reproduce and raise their young. He tried to use it to explain differences he claimed to see between human groups. He suggested that people of East Asian descent had larger brains, higher intelligence, and matured more slowly. He claimed people of European descent were in the middle, and people of African descent were at the lower end of these traits.

Scientists have widely criticized Rushton's use of r/K selection theory for humans. His former university department said this specific idea was "thoroughly debunked." This means it was proven wrong.

One scientist, Joseph L. Graves, said that r/K selection theory is not useful for understanding human life. He also said Rushton did not use the theory correctly. Graves pointed out that Rushton misunderstood evolution. He also said Rushton used information incorrectly and that some of his data was collected in questionable ways. Other experts have said that the idea of "race" as Rushton used it is not supported by genetic science. They argue that his research was based on old, unscientific ways of classifying people.

Later studies by Rushton and others claimed to support his theory. However, these studies also faced strong criticism.

Another psychologist, David P. Barash, said Rushton's ideas were "bad science and virulent racial prejudice."

Personality Structure

Starting in 2008, Rushton researched how personality is structured. He wrote about a dozen papers suggesting that personality differences could be explained by one main "general factor." This is similar to the "g factor" used in intelligence tests.

Other Views

In 2009, Rushton spoke at a conference called Preserving Western Civilization. This event was organized to discuss defending "America's Judeo-Christian heritage and European identity" from immigrants and other groups. The Anti-Defamation League, a group that fights hate, described the people at this conference as "racist academics" and "anti-immigrant activists."

See also

In Spanish: J. Philippe Rushton para niños

• Race and intelligence
• Scientific racism