QuoteProject
Intelligence tests are biased toward the literate.
George Carlin
ShareWTF𝕏

Interpretation

What this quote means

Intelligence tests often favor those who are literate, potentially skewing results based on language skills rather than true intelligence.

This quote by George Carlin highlights the inherent bias found in traditional intelligence testing methods, suggesting that these tests may disproportionately advantage individuals who are proficient in reading and writing. Carlin emphasizes that such tests may not accurately reflect a person's overall intelligence or capabilities, as they can be influenced by one's educational background and access to resources.

Themes

IntelligenceTestingBiasLiteracyEducation

In practice

Example use cases

During a discussion on educational reform, one might quote Carlin to highlight the need for more equitable assessment methods.

More from George Carlin

Life is a near-death experience.
George CarlinRead
Here’s a bumper sticker I’d like to see: “We are the proud parents of a child who’s self-esteem is sufficient that he doesn’t need us promoting his minor scholastic achievements on the back of our car."
George CarlinRead
If you've got a cat and a leg, you've got a happy cat. If you've got a cat and two legs, you've got a party.
George CarlinRead
This is a lttle prayer dedicated to the separation of church and state. I guess if they are going to force those kids to pray in schools they might as well have a nice prayer like this: Our Father who art in heaven, and to the republic for which it stands, thy kingdom come, one nation indivisible as in heaven, give us this day as we forgive those who so proudly we hail. Crown thy good into temptation but deliver us from the twilight's last gleaming. Amen and Awomen.
George CarlinRead
Some people try to get out of jury duty by lying. You don't have to lie. Tell the judge the truth. Tell him you'd make a terrific juror because you can spot guilty people.
George CarlinRead
Fighting for peace is like screwing for virginity.
George CarlinRead

Similar quotes

No voice teacher can be all things to all people. You have to gain information from whatever sources you can. You have to listen.
Renee FlemingRead
Music has a power of forming the character, and should therefore be introduced into the education of the young.
AristotleRead
I learned to write fiction the way I learned to read fiction - by skipping the parts that bored me.
Jonathan LethemRead
It is so fatally easy to make young children believe that they are horrible.
T. H. WhiteRead
The library, I believe, is the last of our public institutions to which you can go without credentials. You don't even need the sticker on your windshield that you need to get into the public beach. All you need is the willingness to read.
Harry GoldenRead
We will not find the solution to problems of violence, alienation, ignorance, and unhappiness in increasing our security, imposing more tests, punishing schools for their failure to produce 100 percent proficiency, or demanding that teachers be knowledgeable in the subjects they teach. Instead, we must allow teachers and students to interact as whole persons, and we must develop policies that treat the school as a whole community.
Nel NoddingsRead

A little wisdom, now and then

Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.