johnmjennings.com
There are only about 15 million Jews worldwide with the largest population of 6.3 million in Israel, followed by 5.7 million in the U.S. No other country has over 500,000 Jews.
Fifteen million people is about 0.2% of the world population and 5.7 million is only 1.8% of the U.S. population. Given those small percentages, the following statistics are astounding:
Jews have won 22% of all Nobel Prizes ever awarded
They have won 25% of all Fields Medals (awarded to the brightest mathematician under age 40)
They constitute 31% of the Forbes 400 (which lists the wealthiest individuals)
Jews have held the World Chess Champion title 54% of the time since 1866
Jews compose 21% of Ivy League student bodies
They have won about 50% of the Pulitzer Prizes for non-fiction
37% of Academy Award winning directors have been Jewish
What accounts for this amazing (partial) list of achievement? Steven L. Pease (who is not Jewish), author of the book, The Debate Over Jewish Achievement, proposes that Jewish culture (rather than genetics) is the main driver of achievement. He notes the following possible explanations for Jewish achievement:
"The huge premium Jews have placed on literacy and education for more than 2,000 years. Jews graduate from college at more than twice the national average."
oneironut is back to pretending to be liberal.