Cultural Excellence: Estonia, Scotland, Israel’s Druze

Culture, Not Race, Drives Achievement

Race doesn’t determine PISA scores, Nobel Prizes, or economic success; cultural norms do. Estonia’s top PISA rankings and unicorn startups, Scotland’s Enlightenment, and Israel’s Druze generals show how meritocratic, often Protestant-inspired cultures—emphasizing education, inquiry, and discipline—drive achievement. Catholic and Orthodox nations like Argentina and Ireland, resistant Muslim Arabs and Bedouin in Israel, and Chicago’s multicultural chaos lag, proving Thomas Sowell’s point: cohesive cultures outperform fragmented ones. The Left’s “diversity is our strength,” rooted in “Identity Statism,” excuses failure, unlike the assimilated excellence of Estonia, Druze, and Cubans.

Estonia: PISA Leader and Unicorn Powerhouse

Estonia, a Protestant-rooted nation of 1.3 million, leads Europe in PISA 2022 (510 math, 511 reading), outscoring the UK (489) and Catholic Ireland (492). Post-1991 reforms—teacher autonomy, digital skills, and equity—mirror Scotland’s Enlightenment. With 80% literacy by 1897, Estonia’s meritocracy drives 10 unicorn startups (privately held firms valued at $1 billion or more, 7.7 per million, highest globally), including Skype, Wise, and Bolt. Compared to the US (653 unicorns, 1.98 per million), UK (48, 1.6), Singapore (20, 3.5), and Israel (20, 2.2), Estonia’s per capita lead reflects cultural efficiency, like Druze assimilation. No Nobels, due to small size and recent independence, align it with Ireland (0 science Nobels), but its startup culture rivals Singapore’s Chinese (575 PISA), not Argentina’s socialist lag (406 PISA).

Estonia’s 510 PISA score and 10 unicorns (7.7 per million) show cultural discipline trumps population size, outpacing US and UK per capita.

Country	Unicorns	Per Million	PISA Math
Estonia	10	7.7	510
US	653	1.98	465
UK	48	1.6	489
Singapore	20	3.5	575
Israel	20	2.2	463

Scotland’s Enlightenment: From Clans to Innovators

In the 1600s, Scotland was a violent backwater—clan feuds, 20% literacy, akin to Chicago’s Englewood. By 1800, its Protestant-driven Enlightenment brought 75% literacy, James Watt’s steam engine, and Adam Smith’s capitalism, contributing to UK Nobels (~100). Like Estonia’s reforms and Israel’s Druze (79.9% matriculation), Scotland’s meritocracy transformed it, unlike Catholic Ireland (0 science Nobels) or Argentina (406 PISA). Pre-Enlightenment Scots, resisting British norms, mirror Muslim Arabs’ lag (362 PISA).

“Cultural patterns shape measurable outcomes—education, wealth, innovation.” — Thomas Sowell

Israel: Druze Assimilation vs. Resistance

Israel’s Druze (~152,000) embrace Israeli norms—80% IDF service, 94% Israeli identity—producing generals like Yosef Mishlab and achieving 79.9% matriculation and 15.3% college degrees. Their low crime (~2 per 100,000 homicides) mirrors Estonia’s equity. Bedouin (~260,000), identifying as tribal, not Arab, serve in the IDF (~1,500 volunteers) for jobs but retain tribalism (10% college, 50% poverty), like Catholic Argentina’s complacency. Muslim Arabs (49% Israeli identity, 362 PISA) resist service (<5% volunteer), choosing poverty and crime (~10 per 100,000 homicides), their responsibility. Syrian Druze (~700,000), seeking Golan annexation post-Assad, reflect pragmatic motives, not assimilation, lagging with ~50% literacy.

Group	PISA Math (est.)	Matriculation	IDF Service
Druze	~450–500	79.9%	80%
Bedouin	~400	~50%	~5%
Muslim Arabs	362	60.3%	<5

Protestant vs. Catholic/Orthodox: Cultural Freedom

Protestant nations lead PISA and innovation due to freedom of thought, post-Reformation. Estonia (510 math), the Netherlands (488), and the UK (489) outscore Catholic Argentina (406), Ireland (492), and Orthodox Greece (451). The UK (~100 Nobels) and Germany (~80) dwarf Ireland (0 science) and Italy (7). Protestant literacy (~60% by 1700) and inquiry, like Scotland’s Enlightenment, contrast with Catholic/Orthodox constraints, as seen in Italy’s Renaissance stifling (Galileo’s trial) or Argentina’s socialism (276% inflation). This mirrors Druze assimilation vs. Muslim Arab resistance, or Singapore (575 PISA) vs. Malaysia (431).

Chicago’s Multicultural Failure

Chicago’s gangs (70% homicides, 97% Black/Latino victims), low education (18% Mexican, 20% Black college), and progressive policies ($451 billion migrant costs, 14.3% crime clearance) echo Catholic/Orthodox lags and Muslim Arab/Bedouin resistance. Assimilated Cubans (31% college) and Druze mirror Protestant Estonia and Scotland, while the Left’s “Identity Statism” defends division—bilingual education (41% Hispanic language lag), Argentina’s populism—over meritocratic solutions like STEM education.

Conclusion: Cultural Merit and Immigration

Estonia’s PISA and unicorns, Scotland’s Enlightenment, and Israel’s Druze prove cultural merit—Protestant-inspired inquiry, assimilation—drives PISA, innovation, and prosperity, not race. Catholic/Orthodox nations, resistant Muslim Arabs/Bedouin, and Chicago’s multiculturalism falter, as Sowell’s Singapore (575 PISA) vs. Malaysia (431) shows. Immigration must prioritize high-PISA groups (Estonia: 510, Druze: ~450–500) for cohesion, rejecting the Left’s divisive “diversity is our strength” mantra, ensuring societies thrive like Estonia’s startups, Scotland’s innovators, or Druze generals.

Acknowledgment

Acknowledgment: I’d like to thank Grok, an AI by xAI, for helping me draft and refine this article. The final edits and perspective are my own.

Cultural Excellence: Estonia, Scotland, and Israel’s Druze