There's no question that most of the drive and innovation in any society comes from a small fraction of its population, who are generally of higher than average intelligence.
However, it is my observation that the average intelligence of a society is crucial for the long-term prosperity and survival of a society. Below a certain threshold of average intelligence, no society can prosper, because the complex social structures that are needed to sustain it cannot be maintained. These complex structures may be the work of individuals or small groups of the elite, but their maintenance, their very continuance, depends of th average citizens of the society, who collectively makes up the structures. To put it another way, a chain is only as strong as its weakest link.
We see in Africa, where blacks have taken over formely white-run cities and countries, what happens when the average intelligence of society falls below that threshold. There is decay, inertia, and chaos.
(post is archived)