Why IQ still matters to people - even if it's biased. President Trump and Silicon Valley tech bros are obsessed with IQ, but the history of intelligence testing is full of bunk race science and eugenics. With the rise of AI's "super intelligence," should we still be ranking human intelligence at all? In this crossover episode with our friends at Code Switch, we explore who gets labeled as smart with <a href="https://www.quinnslobodian.com/"target="_blank" >Quinn Slobodian</a>, author of Hayek’s Bastards: Race, Gold, IQ, and the Capitalism of the Far Right and <a href="https://www.angelasaini.co.uk/"target="_blank" >Angela Saini</a>, author of Superior: The Return of Race Science. For more episodes about the politics of intelligence, check out:<a href="https://www.npr.org/2025/07/14/1263527175/its-been-a-minute-backlash-education"target="_blank" >The price you pay for being smart</a><a href="https://www.npr.org/2025/02/03/1263527033/its-been-a-minute-reading-decline-attention-span"target="_blank" >Books vs. Brain Rot: why it's so hard to read</a><a href="https://www.npr.org/2026/04/13/nx-s1-5780867/you-might-be-suffering-from-ai-brain-fry"target="_blank" >You might be suffering from AI brain fry</a> Support public media with NPR+ and enjoy perks for over 25 podcasts like this one. This show’s perks include sponsor-free listening. Learn more at <a href="http://plus.npr.org/"target="_blank" >plus.npr.org</a>. See <a href="https://pcm.adswizz.com">pcm.adswizz.com</a> for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. <a href="https://www.npr.org/about-npr/179878450/privacy-policy">NPR Privacy Policy</a>

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