IQ Tests Are a Hoax
False Assumption: IQ testing is a pseudoscientific hoax that measures arbitrary puzzle-solving ability rather than genuine, hereditary intelligence predictive of life outcomes.
Written by FARAgent on February 10, 2026
In the early 1920s, journalist Walter Lippmann launched a sharp critique of IQ testing in a series of New Republic articles. He targeted Lewis Terman, the psychologist who adapted the Stanford-Binet test for Americans during World War I. Lippmann argued that these tests merely gauged puzzle-solving skills, not innate intelligence or predictors of life success. He pointed to cultural biases in questions, such as one about a crying Dutch girl, and accused testers of dogmatically promoting intelligence as hereditary to justify social hierarchies. Terman defended his work, insisting the tests measured general cognitive ability with real-world value.
The assumption gained traction over decades, influencing policy and culture. In the 1960s, Defense Secretary Robert McNamara ignored IQ thresholds and drafted 100,000 low-scoring men, dubbed McNamara's Morons, many of whom struggled in Vietnam. More recently, in 2021, Stanford University renamed a school honoring Fred Terman, Lewis's son and a key figure in Silicon Valley, amid debates over his father's eugenics ties. Critics linked this to broader dismissals of IQ's validity, which some say erased pioneers' contributions and led to misguided decisions.
The debate remains hotly contested today. In 2023, New York Times writer Amanda Hess revived Lippmann's view, calling IQ a pseudoscientific hoax tied to figures like Elon Musk. Harvard professor Steven Pinker countered that such claims overlook evidence of IQ's predictive power for outcomes like income and health. Mounting evidence challenges the hoax narrative, yet experts split on whether early biases invalidate the tests entirely.
People Involved
- In 1922, Walter Lippmann, a leading liberal pundit and advisor to President Wilson, wrote six articles denouncing IQ testing as unproven and dangerous. He acted in good faith, critics argue, highlighting risks that seemed real at the time. [1]
- Lewis Terman, who created the Stanford-Binet IQ test, defended the practice against Lippmann with a satirical response that pointed to its validity. He stood as a key proponent, pushing back against the doubts. [1]
- Fred Terman, son of Lewis Terman, benefited from this legacy as Dean of Engineering at Stanford.
- He mentored William Hewlett and David Packard, helping to build Silicon Valley in the mid-20th century. [1]
- More recently, Amanda Hess, a New York Times critic at large for the Culture section, claimed IQ had been uncoupled from tests and used to justify Silicon Valley power. She promoted the idea in good faith, linking it to broader concerns. [2]
- Steven Pinker, a Harvard cognitive science professor, dismissed Hess's essay on Elon Musk's IQ. He emerged as a voice challenging the hoax narrative, pointing to established evidence. [2]
▶ Supporting Quotes (5)
“In 1922 the leading liberal pundit Walter Lippman, adviser to President Wilson, wrote six articles denouncing the young science of intelligence testing in The New Republic, of which he was one of the founders.”— Is I.Q. a Conspiracy Theory?
“The New Republic let Terman respond later that year, and it turned out he was much funnier than Lippmann: 'The Great Conspiracy or the Impulse Imperious of Intelligence Testers, Psychoanalyzed and Exposed by Mr. Lippmann'”— Is I.Q. a Conspiracy Theory?
“The Terman family did okay meritocratically. Lewis’s world-historical son Fred Terman became the Dean of Engineering at Stanford, the faculty mentor of Hewlett and Packard, and he more or less invented Silicon Valley as we know it today.”— Is I.Q. a Conspiracy Theory?
“The questionable measure of intelligence has now been uncoupled from any test and loosed into the discourse to justify Silicon Valley’s power.”— What Is Elon Musk’s I.Q.?
“Harvard cognitive science superstar Steven Pinker is not impressed with Ms. Hess’s essay: It’s the usual Amanda Hess kind of thing:”— What Is Elon Musk’s I.Q.?
Organizations Involved
The New Republic played a role in promoting doubts about IQ tests by publishing Walter Lippmann's six attacking articles in 1922, along with Lewis Terman's response. This gave the debate a prominent platform, sustaining questions about the tests' validity. [1] In modern times, the New York Times furthered the discussion by running Amanda Hess's essay, which questioned IQ's legitimacy and tied it to eugenics and elite power structures. The publication amplified these concerns, keeping the assumption alive amid ongoing debates. [2]
▶ Supporting Quotes (2)
“In 1922 the leading liberal pundit Walter Lippman, adviser to President Wilson, wrote six articles denouncing the young science of intelligence testing in The New Republic, of which he was one of the founders.”— Is I.Q. a Conspiracy Theory?
“From the New York Times: Critic’s Notebook What Is Elon Musk’s I.Q.? ... By Amanda Hess”— What Is Elon Musk’s I.Q.?
The Foundation
Walter Lippmann argued in 1922 that IQ tests measured mere puzzle-solving ability, not general intelligence or success in life. This view seemed credible given the field's early stage, but mounting evidence challenges it as long-term data showed predictive power. [1] He also claimed testers dogmatically viewed intelligence as innate and hereditary, fueling fears of a rigid caste system. Critics argue this was misleading, as heritability evidence has grown over time. [1] Early IQ tests included cultural biases, such as items about a crying Dutch girl or differences between a president and a king. These flaws appeared as proof of invalidity in initial efforts, yet growing questions surround this as tests improved and still predicted outcomes. [2] Observers noted that IQ tests often reflected class structures, with better-off groups scoring higher. This was cited against measuring innate intelligence, though it ignores high scores by groups like Jews and Asians. [2] Francis Galton promoted IQ as heritable through his book Hereditary Genius, which supported eugenics. This foundation generated the sub-belief that all IQ work is pseudoscience, a view that remains contested today. [2]
▶ Supporting Quotes (5)
“But whether this is the capacity to pass tests or the capacity to deal with life, which we call intelligence, we do not know.”— Is I.Q. a Conspiracy Theory?
“They claim not only that they are really measuring intelligence, but that intelligence is innate, hereditary, and predetermined.”— Is I.Q. a Conspiracy Theory?
“Terman’s initial tests, organized by age, were overt in their cultural biases: 7-year-olds were asked to describe an illustration of a crying Dutch girl in wooden shoes; 14-year-olds were asked to list three differences between a president and a king; adults were asked to interpret the implied lessons of fables.”— What Is Elon Musk’s I.Q.?
“The results “have always produced a kind of photograph of the existing class structure, in which the better-off economic and ethnic groups are found to be more intelligent and the worse-off are found to be less so,” the journalist Nicholas Lemann writes.”— What Is Elon Musk’s I.Q.?
“Galton founded both the ideology of eugenics and the field of psychometrics — the application of objective measurement to the study of human psychology.”— What Is Elon Musk’s I.Q.?
How It Spread
Liberal pundits like Walter Lippmann spread denial of IQ tests' value through media attacks in the 1920s, a pattern echoed in 2025 as a popular conspiracy theory distrusting psychometrics. This media push helped the idea take root over decades. [1] During the Great Awokening, social pressure further propagated the denial by leading to the cancellation of school names honoring the Termans, despite counterarguments from evidence. Such actions reinforced the narrative in cultural circles. [1] Online discourse amplified speculation about figures like Elon Musk's IQ, with estimates ranging from Seth Abramson's guess of 100-110 to Fox News's 155. This internet spread kept the hoax assumption circulating amid broader debates. [2]
▶ Supporting Quotes (3)
“One hugely popular conspiracy theory in 2025 is that I.Q. is just a hoax made up by a handful of frauds that would come tumbling down if anybody ever asked any questions about it.”— Is I.Q. a Conspiracy Theory?
“During the Great Awokening, the name got canceled because Lewis was an outspoken advocated of eugenics.”— Is I.Q. a Conspiracy Theory?
“Seth Abramson wrote on X that he would “peg his I.Q. as between 100 and 110,” and claimed that there was “zero evidence in his biography for anything higher.” ... A circulating screenshot shows Fox News has pegged the number at 155”— What Is Elon Musk’s I.Q.?
Resulting Policies
In Palo Alto, middle school naming policies enforced skepticism toward IQ pioneers by removing the Termans' names due to eugenics associations. Alternatives were rejected over ethnic objections, reflecting how the assumption influenced local decisions. [1] The U.S. government applied low IQ scores to deny entry to immigrants, forcibly sterilize disabled individuals, and assign low scorers to combat roles in the military. These policies, built on early IQ interpretations, highlight the assumption's real-world impact while critics argue their flaws. [2]
▶ Supporting Quotes (2)
“By the 2000s, it had the highest test scores of any public middle school in California. During the Great Awokening, the name got canceled... Eventually the school was renamed after a Jewish city councilwoman whose big accomplishment was introducing bike lanes.”— Is I.Q. a Conspiracy Theory?
“using low scores to deny certain immigrants entry to the country, to forcibly sterilize disabled people, and to push low-ranking soldiers into the line of fire while elevating high scorers to officer positions.”— What Is Elon Musk’s I.Q.?
Harm Caused
The cancellation of the Terman school name in Palo Alto erased recognition of IQ pioneers' achievements. This led to absurd renamings amid ethnic disputes, a consequence that growing questions surround as unnecessary. [1] Ignoring IQ realities prompted Robert McNamara to enlist 100,000 low-IQ individuals, dubbed McNamara's Morons, against congressional orders. The effort caused disaster, underscoring harms that critics link to dismissing the tests' predictive value. [2]
▶ Supporting Quotes (2)
“A proposal to drop Lewis but keep Fred Terman as the namesake was rejected on the grounds that the hereditary taint of eugenics carried on unto the seventh generation. Or something. Then it was proposed to rename the school after a Japanese-American graduate war hero... But Chinese residents of Palo Alto objected that they hated the Japanese race, so that proposal was dropped.”— Is I.Q. a Conspiracy Theory?
“Robert MacNamara put 100,000 of MacNamara’s Morons into the military against Congress’s orders. And that proved a disaster.”— What Is Elon Musk’s I.Q.?
Downfall
Over four generations, IQ tests have predicted life outcomes, mounting evidence that challenges Walter Lippmann's 1922 question about their long-term validity. This data raises growing questions about the hoax assumption. [1] Lewis Terman's response exposed Lippmann's arguments as attacks on basic mental differences, a point validated by subsequent data according to critics. The debate persists, but these insights contribute to the challenges. [1] Before 1995, the SAT correlated strongly with IQ; Elon Musk scored 1400, equivalent to the 1500s today, aligning with his achievements and prompting doubts about hoax claims. [2] Steven Pinker noted a decade ago that scientific debate on IQ validity had ended long before, a view that adds to the mounting evidence challenging the assumption, though it remains contested. [2]
▶ Supporting Quotes (4)
“Of course, four generations now have gone by... Well, it turned out that they did get off to a good start and further refinement over the next couple of decades made IQ tests even better at predicting important life outcomes.”— Is I.Q. a Conspiracy Theory?
“What have intelligence testers done that they should merit such a fate? Well, what have they not done? They have enunciated... (1) That the strictly average representative of the genus homo is not a particularly intellectual animal; (2) that some members of the species are much stupider than others;”— Is I.Q. a Conspiracy Theory?
“Musk... scored 730 Math and 670 Verbal or 1400, which would be a score in the 1500s today. That’s a very good test score, especially on Verbal”— What Is Elon Musk’s I.Q.?
“Actually, the scientific debate was over a long time ago, as Steven Pinker pointed out a decade ago:”— What Is Elon Musk’s I.Q.?
Sources
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[1]
Is I.Q. a Conspiracy Theory?reputable_journalism
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[2]
What Is Elon Musk’s I.Q.?reputable_journalism