The myth that writing indicates natural intelligence starts as correct writing becomes a tool for ranking students and innate ability. Consequences include limiting how we understand intelligence, trusting tests instead of teachers, and trusting test results without understanding tests. Closer to the truth is that uniform tests and scales are not fair, and they tell us a 2-dimensional story about writing. Closer to the truth is that writing is 3-dimensional – social, diverse, and unnatural – and on a continuum rather than a scale.

The purpose of this chapter is to explore the extent that the claim of racial differences in intelligence represents a Black and White (i.e., absolute) issue, in a post-truth era characterized by discourses that are no longer moored in T/truth. Specifically, we summarize the debate over racial differences in intelligence. In so doing, we deconstruct the concepts of race and intelligence. Next, using Onwuegbuzie, Daniel, and Collins’s (2009) meta-validation model, we assess the fidelity of IQ tests. Then, we provide arguments that challenge hereditarian assumptions about the largely genetic nature of intelligence, including delineating evidence of the relationship between IQ and socioeconomic status (and its many correlates). We call for continued rigorously peer-reviewed research on race and intelligence, particularly with regard to the etiology of differences in IQ scores, wherein the investigators are comprehensive, transparent, and cautious, given the potential for divisiveness and far-reaching sociopolitical implications in a post-truth era.