> I'm absolutely certain it isn't because westerners are smarter, better, etc (we aren't)... but there is something seriously weird over there at the same time (malnutrition, lack of basic formal education system, cultural differences, too many generations of instability (maybe one generation works ok, but 3 breaks things seriously))
I'm amused at how you can disclaim completely that Westerners might be smarter - perish the thought! - and then in the next breath suggest a major cause of that (lack of malnutrition) as the explanation.
I guess that I'm saying we aren't inherently smarter (westerners have often thought about others around the world). Education, nutrition, healthcare, better mental health of course all contribute to better effective applicable intelligence.
But for the points you brought up, it doesn't matter if westerners are 'inherently' smarter (whatever that means - genetics?). It only matters that they are smarter, for whatever reason.
I'm amused at how you can disclaim completely that Westerners might be smarter - perish the thought! - and then in the next breath suggest a major cause of that (lack of malnutrition) as the explanation.