The Start-Up Nation book analyses Israel's economical success. From inside the core of the same Nation and having day-to-day working relationship with many startups (yesterday I spent the day with a clean tech startup), in fact, I make my living "milking" these companies, I say: "It is all bullshit". The book imagines all kind of causes for the abundance of successful startups in Israel, except one. It seems to be unmentionable, taboo, politically incorrect. Why should I reveal the "secret"? Pic.: Ada Yonath, daughter and grand-daughter.
12 comments:
What cause do you mean, IQ?
That's a necessary, but not sufficient cause for the success of the Israeli hitech industry.
The cultural factors are far more interesting, in my opinion.
From a non-Jew's perspective: Yes it is the greater intelligence of the Ashkenazi Jews.
*Gasp* that's racist!
The culture perspective is nonsense. Culture cannot explain the massive achievement differences, and reported IQ differences, between genetic groups. If you're going to bring something up about religion like "the torah tells us to learn and be successful" remember that religiosity is negatively correlated with IQ, wealth, and level of education. Ashkenazi Jews are also, I think, the least religious people in the world.
High IQ allows you to enter a sophisticated occupation and become wealthy. It doesn't explain why so many Israelis have chosen to do so in the technology sector specifically.
In the USA, many of these jobs are low-status and associated with Asian nerds.
The book refers to cultural influences, such as the lack of rank inhibition in Israel where anyone can talk to the boss on equal terms. It also gives great weight to the military experience. In my experience, Chinese and Japanese bosses are more attentive to suggestions from "nobodies" than Israelis, and military service, well, it is universal in Nigeria and Bolivia too. The fact that the military allows the formation of friendships and alliances is true, but buddies are common feature of Irish bars too.
I'm a lawyer and I've done some computer programming. The two professions have remarkable similarities. You pore over a text of law or code and try to understand the whole and it's parts as best as you can and use those elements to your advantage. Jewish success in law has often been attributed to the talmudic studying tradition. I think computer programming could be as well.
Does Israel have any famous traditions for craftsmanship? I think that comes from another place in the brain/soul.
-Russ
Does Israel have any famous traditions for craftsmanship?
Depends. Do you consider arms manufacturing to be craftsmanship?
Hahaha!
IQ is definitely part of the story, but not the whole. How technologically inclined were Ashkenazim for the 1000 years before Israel's creation? I can only think of our metalworking prowess (thus names like Silberman, Goldstein, etc.)
It also strikes me that service in the Nigerian military as a private is somewhat qualitatively different than service in the IDF.
What I did see in Israel was a country built around the middle class, not an aristocracy. What you guys call an aristocracy is nothing compared to what we have.
Jews have (or had) a tradition of craftsmanship in certain trades - metalwork (both the base metals such as wrought iron and working in precious metals), embroidery, etc.
I find programming to be considerably different than the law - the law is all about interpretation of ambiguous words where computers are very literal minded and do not admit of more than one interpretation. If the law was like a computer we would not need judges and juries - we could submit legal questions to a computer for decision, but we can't.
Keep in mind that Israel was, in its early years, an economic flop due to socialism. How did the same superintelligent Jews go from being idiotic Marxists to dynamic capitalists?
K
K
BTW, craftmanship is not as important as entrepreneurial instinct and managerial skills. J has documented many times before the predominance of the small Jewish minority in Hungary in ownership of factories, control of stock exchange seats, etc. In the memorial book of my father's shtetl, there is a picture of the proud (bearded and long coated) Jewish owner standing beside the town's electrical generator. I'm pretty certain this guy didn't know negative from positive but he knew how to raise capital and run a business.
K
Yes.
The magic ingredient is difficult to put into words, especially a single word, but it combines both the propensity to gamble as well as the intelligence to perceive value: "euvaluationism"; and to persuade other people to put up $, and to take the risk together as a team.
All these elements are important, and are related to IQ in an important way, as is the obvious requirement to understand ENOUGH of the technology not to be led astray.
But there is something else too; the sense that the future matters, and that it can be altered, and even captured, by decisive action in the present.
All of these are characteristic of successful businessmen, and are enriched in the Jewish persona.
Anon.
Very well said, Anon.
K
Post a Comment