Editing James Flynn (academic) (section)

== Later career ==
He was in favour of [[Homosexual Law Reform Act 1986|homosexual law reform]] in New Zealand and in 1985 listed his name openly in support.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/CHP19850420.2.45.1 |title=We Support Homosexual Law Reform |work=[[The Press]] |date=20 April 1985 |page=6 |archive-date=4 May 2024 |access-date=4 May 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240504233104/https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/CHP19850420.2.45.1 |url-status=live }}</ref>

While teaching at Otago in the 1990s, Flynn became a founding member of the [[NewLabour Party (New Zealand)|NewLabour]] and [[Alliance (New Zealand political party)|Alliance]] political parties. He stood unsuccessfully as an Alliance candidate for the [[New Zealand House of Representatives]] in general elections in the {{NZ electorate link|Dunedin North}} electorate in {{NZ election link year|1993}}, {{NZ election link year|1996}}, and {{NZ election link year|2005}} elections. In 2008 he acted as the Alliance spokesperson for finance and taxation.{{r|Gibb|NYT|Stuff|Wilby|SA}}

In 1996, Flynn stepped down as head of the University of Otago's politics department and in 1997, he became [[Emeritus Professor]] in the Politics and Psychology departments.{{r|UO|Gibb|Stuff}}

In 1999, Flynn had surgery for intestinal cancer, which remained in remission for twenty years.{{r|Gibb}}

A 1999 article published in ''[[American Psychologist]]'' summarised much of his research up to that point. On the alleged genetic inferiority of Blacks on IQ tests, he lays out the argument and evidence for such a belief and then contests each point. He interprets the direct evidence—when Blacks are raised in settings that are less disadvantageous—as suggesting that environmental factors explain average group differences. And yet, he argues that the environmental explanation gained force after the discovery that IQ scores were rising over time. Inter-generational IQ differences among Whites and across nations were larger than the Black-White IQ Gap and could not be accounted for by genetic factors, which, if anything, should have reduced IQ, according to scholars he references. In that and in later works, he posited that the Black-White IQ score gap can be largely explained by environmental factors if "the average environment for Blacks in 1995 matches the quality of the average environment for Whites in 1945."<ref>https://scottbarrykaufman.com/podcast/nature-nurture-and-human-autonomy-with-james-flynn/ {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211207234607/https://scottbarrykaufman.com/podcast/nature-nurture-and-human-autonomy-with-james-flynn/ |date=7 December 2021 }} 32m30s</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.theguardian.com/education/2016/sep/27/james-flynn-race-iq-myths-does-your-family-make-you-smarter|title=Beyond the Flynn effect: new myths about race, family and IQ?|date=27 September 2016|website=[[The Guardian]] }}</ref><ref name=":0">{{cite journal|last1=Flynn|first1=James R.|date=1999|title=Searching for justice: The discovery of IQ gains over time.|url=http://www.stat.columbia.edu/~gelman/stuff_for_blog/flynn.pdf|journal=American Psychologist|volume=54|issue=1|pages=5–20|doi=10.1037/0003-066x.54.1.5|archive-date=25 June 2010|access-date=24 September 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100625085640/http://www.stat.columbia.edu/~gelman/stuff_for_blog/flynn.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref>

In 2000, Flynn published what he considered his most important book, ''How to Defend Humane Ideals'', which he dedicated to his wife and which was a "recalibration" of the "modern [[Aristotelianism]]" of his earlier 1973 work, ''Humanism and Ideology''.{{r|UO|Gibb}}

In 2006, with [[Brookings Institution]] economist [[William T. Dickens]], Flynn published "Black Americans reduce the racial IQ gap: evidence from standardization samples", which suggested that the difference in IQ scores between blacks and whites narrowed by four to seven points between 1972 and 2002, a conclusion contested by Jensen and controversial [[University of Western Ontario]] psychologist [[J. Philippe Rushton]].{{r|NYT|Chronicle}}<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Dickens|first1=William T.|last2=Flynn|first2=James R.|date=October 2006|title=Black Americans reduce the racial IQ gap: evidence from standardization samples|url=https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17100793/|journal=Psychological Science|volume=17|issue=10|pages=913–920|doi=10.1111/j.1467-9280.2006.01802.x|issn=0956-7976|pmid=17100793|s2cid=6593169|archive-date=24 September 2021|access-date=24 September 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210924010232/https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17100793/|url-status=live}}</ref>

Flynn's 2007 book, ''What is Intelligence? Beyond the Flynn Effect'', was dedicated to Jensen and revisited and expanded upon his earlier work from the 1980s.{{r|Gibb|Skeptic}}<ref name="MSM">{{Cite journal |last=Singh |first=Ajai |date=2009 |title=Welcome to the Board, Prof James R. Flynn |journal=[[Mens Sana Monographs]] |volume=7 |issue=1 |page=210 |doi=10.4103/0973-1229.51213 |doi-broken-date=1 November 2024 |doi-access=free|url=https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A204106915/HRCA?u=mlin_oweb&sid=googleScholar&xid=19215d36 }}</ref>

During 2007, new research from the [[2006 New Zealand census]] showed that women without a tertiary (college) education had produced 2.57 babies each, compared to 1.85 babies for those women with a higher education. During July 2007, ''[[The Sunday Star-Times]]'' quoted Flynn as saying that New Zealand [[dysgenics|risked having a less intelligent population]] and that a "persistent genetic trend which lowered the genetic quality for brain physiology would have some effect eventually". He referred to hypothetical [[eugenicists]]' suggestions for reversing the trend, including some sort of [[oral contraceptive]] "in the water supply and … an antidote" to conceive.<ref name="nz_mums">{{cite news |url=https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10450313 |title=Brainier mums needed to maintain future generations' intelligence, says professor |date=8 July 2007 |work=[[New Zealand Herald]] |agency=NZPA |archive-date=13 June 2018 |access-date=13 June 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180613160718/https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10450313 |url-status=live }}</ref>
Flynn later articulated his own views on the ''[[Close Up (TV programme)|Close Up]]'' television programme in an interview with [[Paul Henry (broadcaster)|Paul Henry]], suggesting that the ''Sunday Star-Times'' had grossly misrepresented his opinions. In the article, Flynn argued that he never intended for his suggestion to be taken seriously, as he only said this to illustrate a particular point.<ref name="odt_hot">{{cite news|url=http://www.odt.co.nz/article.php?refid=2007,07,09,1,00101,6ab28590335842ab78ad5a8ec415d749&sect=0 |title=Academic in hot water over remarks |first=David |last=Loughrey |date=9 July 2007 |work=The Otago Daily Times |location=New Zealand |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070928205802/http://www.odt.co.nz/article.php?refid=2007%2C07%2C09%2C1%2C00101%2C6ab28590335842ab78ad5a8ec415d749&sect=0 |archive-date=28 September 2007 }}</ref><ref name="list_3517">{{cite journal |url=http://www.listener.co.nz/commentary/eureka/ |title=Eureka! |journal=New Zealand Listener |date=6 October 2007 |volume=210 |issue=3517 |first=Matt |last=Nippert |archive-date=13 February 2015 |access-date=9 August 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150213113135/http://www.listener.co.nz/commentary/eureka/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

Flynn continued teaching and was a prolific author in his later life, publishing almost a book every year in his last decade on a number of topics.{{r|Gibb|Wilby}}
Flynn wrote a variety of books. His research interests included humane ideals and ideological debate, classics of [[political philosophy]], and race, class and IQ (see [[race and intelligence]]).<ref name="otago_faculty">{{cite web |url=http://www.otago.ac.nz/politicalstudies/flynn.html |title=Faculty page |publisher=University of Otago |url-status=dead |archive-date=30 April 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100430090951/http://www.otago.ac.nz/politicalstudies/flynn.html }}</ref> His books combined political and moral philosophy with [[psychology]] to examine problems such as justifying humane ideals and whether it makes sense to rank [[Race (classification of human beings)|races]] and [[Social class|classes]] by merit.{{r|UO}}
Despite the success of his work on IQ, Flynn considered himself primarily a philosopher who had simply taken a "holiday" in psychology.{{r|UO|NYT|Critic}}

2008's ''Where have all the liberals gone? Race, class, and ideals in America'' argued that American liberalism had lost its way in response to alarmism from American conservatism.{{r|MSM}}

In 2010, Flynn published ''The Torchlight List: Around the World in 200 Books'', which analysed world literature and proposed that a person can learn more from reading great works of literature than they can from going to university.{{r|UO|Gibb}}<ref name="odt_135936">{{cite news |url=http://www.odt.co.nz/lifestyle/magazine/135936/book-learning |title=Book learning |first=Shane |last=Gilchrist |date=13 November 2010 |work=The Otago Daily Times |location=New Zealand |archive-date=15 November 2010 |access-date=21 February 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101115225213/http://www.odt.co.nz/lifestyle/magazine/135936/book-learning |url-status=live }}</ref>

Flynn published three books in 2012. ''Are We Getting Smarter? Rising IQ in the Twenty-First Century'' summarised his past IQ work and responded to criticisms, particularly regarding environmental causes for race and gender IQ gaps. ''Beyond patriotism: From Truman to Obama (2012)'' critiqued US foreign policy, and suggested people should put allegiance to the world community above national allegiances. ''Fate & philosophy: A journey through life's great questions'' discussed science, ethics, religion, and free will.{{r|Gibb|Chronicle}}

In July 2012, several media outlets reported Flynn as saying that women had, for the first time in a century, surpassed men on IQ tests based on a study he conducted in 2010.<ref name="pid_50">{{cite journal |last1=Flynn |first1=J. R. |last2=Rossi-Case |first2=L. |year=2011 |title=Modern women match men on Raven's Progressive Matrices |journal=Personality and Individual Differences |volume=50 |issue=6 |pages=799–803 |doi=10.1016/j.paid.2010.12.035}}</ref><ref name="PT">{{cite journal |last=Kaufman |first=S. B. |url=http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/beautiful-minds/201207/men-women-and-iq-setting-the-record-straight |title=Men, Women, and IQ: Setting the Record Straight |journal=Psychology Today |date=20 July 2012}}</ref> However, Flynn announced that the media had seriously distorted his results and went beyond his findings, revealing that he had instead discovered that the differences between men and women on one particular test, the [[Raven's Progressive Matrices]], had become minimal in five modernised nations (whereas before 1982 women had scored significantly lower). Women, he argued, caught up with men in these nations as a result of exposure to modernity by entering the professions and being allowed greater educational access. Therefore, he said, when a total account of the Flynn effect is considered, women's closing the gap had moved them up in IQ slightly faster than men as a result. Flynn had previously documented this same trend among ethnic minorities and other disadvantaged groups. According to Flynn, the sexes are "dead equal on cognitive factors ... in their ability to deal with using logic on the abstract problems of Raven's", but that temperamental differences in the way boys and girls take the tests likely account for the tiny variations in mean scores, rather than any difference in intellectual ability.<ref name="PT" />

Flynn's 2013 [[TED talk]], "Why our IQ levels are higher than our grandparents'", has been viewed millions of times.{{r|UO|Gibb}}

In 2016, Flynn published ''No Place to Hide: Climate Change: A short introduction for New Zealanders'', in which he advocated [[climate engineering]] as a way to delay the effects of [[climate change]] until [[renewable energy]] becomes available.{{r|Gibb|Stuff}}

In 2019, Flynn was told that his latest book, originally titled ''In Defense of Free Speech: The University as Censor'', which examined whether modern universities continued to advance free inquiry and critical thinking, would not be published by the English publisher [[Emerald Group Publishing]], who had previously accepted it and scheduled it for publication. Despite Flynn's stating that he was only summarising the positions of others with whom he disagreed, the book was originally thought too incendiary to be published. Dozens of academics, including Murray, defended Flynn, and a United States publisher, [[Academica Press]], later published the book under the title ''A Book Too Risky to Publish: Free Speech and Universities''.{{r|Gibb|NYT|Stuff|Critic}}<ref>{{Citation| last = Canlorbe| first = Grégoire| title = A Conversation with James Flynn.| pages =| newspaper = European Scientist | date = 28 October 2019| url = https://www.europeanscientist.com/en/features/a-conversation-with-james-flynn/}}</ref> In the preface, Flynn stated that it was thought too controversial by Emerald under [[hate speech laws in the United Kingdom|the United Kingdom's laws about hate speech]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.newsroom.co.nz/@readingroom/2019/09/26/828890/a-book-defending-free-speech-rejected-for-fear-of-hate-speech|title=A book defending free speech rejected for fear of hate speech|first=Laura|last=Walters|publisher=Newsroom|date=26 September 2019|access-date=25 September 2019|archive-date=26 September 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190926160807/https://www.newsroom.co.nz/@readingroom/2019/09/26/828890/a-book-defending-free-speech-rejected-for-fear-of-hate-speech|url-status=live}}</ref> as the intent is irrelevant if it is thought likely that "racial hatred could be stirred up as a result of the work".<ref>{{cite book | first1 = James R. | last1 = Flynn | date = 2019 | title = A Book Too Risky to Publish Free Speech and the Universities | location = Washington, DC | publisher = Academic Press}}</ref><ref>{{Citation | last = Flynn | first = James | title = My Book Defending Free Speech Has Been Pulled | pages =  | newspaper = The Australian. | date = 27 September 2019 | url = https://www.theaustralian.com.au/commentary/cut-paste/give-me-your-tired-your-poor-your-huddled-masses-marginalised-on-the-twitter-feed/news-story/69cf2e42fbce982ce23445d756641cd4 | access-date = 18 April 2021 | archive-date = 18 May 2023 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20230518182938/https://www.theaustralian.com.au/commentary/cut-paste/give-me-your-tired-your-poor-your-huddled-masses-marginalised-on-the-twitter-feed/news-story/69cf2e42fbce982ce23445d756641cd4 | url-status = live }}</ref>

He became an Honorary Fellow for life of the [[New Zealand Psychological Society]] and in 1998 received its Special Award.{{r|Gibb}} In 2002, he was awarded the university's gold medal for Distinguished Career Research. In 2007, he became a Distinguished Contributor of the [[International Society for Intelligence Research]]. He received an honorary Doctorate of Science from the University of Otago in 2010.{{r|UO|Gibb|Stuff}} He was a [[Fellow of the Royal Society of New Zealand]] and in 2011 received its Aronui Medal,{{r|Gibb|Stuff|ODT}} Distinguished Visiting Fellow at the [[Hoover Institution]], Distinguished Visiting Speaker at [[Cornell University]], and Distinguished Associate of The Psychometrics Centre at [[Cambridge University]].{{r|UO|Gibb}}<ref name="Cambridge">{{Cite web|date=2013-07-04|title=Professor James Flynn|url=https://www.psychometrics.cam.ac.uk/about-us/directory/jim-flynn|access-date=2021-09-21|publisher=The Psychometrics Centre, [[Cambridge Judge Business School]]|language=en|archive-date=18 September 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210918200248/https://www.psychometrics.cam.ac.uk/about-us/directory/jim-flynn|url-status=live}}</ref> Flynn was a member of the editorial board of ''[[Intelligence (journal)|Intelligence]]''<ref name="elsevier_board">{{Cite web|url=https://www.journals.elsevier.com/intelligence/journals.elsevier.com/intelligence/editorial-board|title=Editorial Board - Intelligence - Journal - Elsevier|website=www.journals.elsevier.com}}</ref> and on the Honorary International Advisory Editorial Board of the [[Mens Sana Monographs]].{{r|UO|MSM}}

Flynn retired in 2020. His cancer returned, and he underwent liver surgery that May. Flynn's wife described his final year as "difficult".{{r|Gibb}} Flynn died of intestinal cancer at Yvette Williams Retirement Village in Dunedin on 11 December 2020, aged 86.{{r|NYT|Stuff|Critic}}