A Correlation Between Intellectual and

Socio-Economic Curves
By: Nick Mansfield

Recently, the question as to the most reliable marker for

socio-economic measurement of a society crossed my mind. My initial
thought was that the lines must ride along some sort of curve and if the
similarities between the socio-economic ladder and intellectual bell curve
could hold the key. I set out on a quest to find the constants between these
seemingly different scales.

What I found: intellect follows an almost constant curve the world

over, with the IQ of around 90% of the population falling within thirty points
of one hundred. This is vastly different from the socio-economic standpoint,
as national economics vary dramatically from country to country. If one
looks at the break down of the classes in The United States, China, and The
United Kingdom they will find middle class as the predominant group
making up around 55-65% percent of the population. The opposite is true of
both Vietnam and Mexico, with lower class registering in at more than 50%.

At this point the conclusion could be made that a strong middle class
affects a nations economy on a large scale. But, how and why does this
happen? Looking at a comparison of the above examples and their
correlation to an intellectual curve, it can be hard to see the interconnection,
however, the upper class remains a constant across the board. In most
countries around the world, the upper class makes up 2-8% of the country's
population, this number is congruent with the number of citizens having an
IQ higher than 130. Darwinian Law states that the upper 3% of a species
pushes it forward in an evolutionary context and the majority soon follow in
their path.

It is my belief that this creates the interdependence of the upper class

to the upper echelon intellectual. The intellectual creates the ideas that the
upper class invests in and the middle class becomes the realization of this
idea and the infrastructure for its implementation in society. More
importantly, without a strong middle class to make these ideas a reality the
intellectual will quickly fall out of favor, being forced to an area where his
ideas can bloom. This would leave the upper class investing in programs
which suit them and their peers and not those that better his society as a
whole, therefore widening the gap between the upper and lower class.

All of this leads me to this conclusion: the measure of a society is in

the strength is in its middle class. Without a solid foundation to advance the
economic structure of your state the individuals who seek to change the
society will soon leave for greener pastures leaving an already struggling
society reeling from the loss of yet another great opportunity. Patrick
Blackett said, “The uneven division of power and wealth, the wide
differences of health and comfort among the nations of mankind, are the
sources of discord in the modern world, its major challenge and unrelieved,
its moral doom.”