PD,
What about people who are just interested for the sake of knowledge? What if asians have some genetic advantage that gives one an advantage - either in learning or interest - in mathematics? I could care less, really.
From a strictly scientific point of view, I am disappointed that the subject has been so thoroughly dismissed. A question such as whether there are heritable genetic factors that have lead to dominance of West African sprinters or East African distance runners is quite interesting. It's fascinating. Hardly anyone publishes papers on such subjects due to the pressure of the tribe. Such research could lead to some very interesting insights in the nature vs/and nurture debate. One risks academic blacklisting for such work.
One the other hand, the concept that "all men are created equal" and should thus be treated has been one of the most important ideas in history and has given us the entire tradition of the liberal democracy. Even if that idea was not adhered to for most of the time it has existed and is only partially adhered to today it has been wildly successful in propagating the liberal democratic formula.
People want to be equal, they want to be respected, they want to be equal to or greater than. Whether Americans, French, Soviets, Iraqis, Cubans, whites or blacks one can bet that human dignity is wished for.
What if there are genetic differences and some people are, on average, better equipped to learn math or science, or run really fast? We don't even want to know. It's forbidden fruit. We know the potential for abuse of such knowledge is high and that it might even challenge that all important notion of "created equal".
Maybe it's just a little while longer and we'll be able to pre-natally modify our children for maximum learning potential. You know, make sure the right genes are switched on and all is in order. Then we can ask the questions and it won't matter so much. Errr ..except all the wealthy parents will do it first. That always happens. ;-)
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