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Why so much variance in human intelligence?
Glenn Horn00

In terms of countries near equator are you seeing cause or effect. Equator regions should have been able to live off the land (eat and use plants that they did not have to grow) In northern countries people either hunted to survive or became agriculture based society. Either way they would have put in more planning and effort. Repeat this for a few hundred years might result in more creativity and reasoning ability.

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1Kevin Kostlan
The sample size isn't big enough: nearby countries are too strongly coupled with each-other. Regions are closer to independent. But the only major regions were Europe, Middle East, East Asia, India, West Africa, East Africa, South Africa, and several in the new world. It's hard to form statistics around such a small number. Of these, four enjoyed "top of the world" civilization status at some point in time: the Middle East + North Africa, Europe, China, and India. Mesoamerica lived independently until it got destroyed by Europe, so it is hard to place in a global hierarchy. This list is pretty random; there is no evidence for or against an "avoidance of the equator". And it keeps moving. After the industrial revolution, the "top of the world" in terms of innovation moved from England to New York (Edison days) and most recently into the Silicon Valley. But why does the king of the hill keep changing? So what breaks the technology/resource extraction/warfare feedback? It's basically crumbling infrastructure combined with regulatory capture at all levels of institutions. The trouble is the timescales are now so fast that the silicon valley is already elderly. There are 5 gas-tank apps. Many startups use the same recycled formula with social media, block-chains, "Uber for X", etc rather than addressing new problems. We already have to go to wherever is "next" (which may or may not be in the same physical area) if we want to use our skills in a young blossoming community.
How Can People Evaluate Complex Questions Consistently?
Glenn Horn10

I think your question is unclear because the question says How can people answer a question consistently? But it appears instead of learning how to answer messy questions yourself you want to know why others do not give consistent answers. Given diverse input information and different backgrounds I am not surprised that the answers vary. This page is a good example of the variability of answers.

A better plan is to understand the methods and reasoning used by the best experts in thinking have solved problems and answered questions. With this research you can develop criteria and methodology that lead to accurate solutions and consistent answers.

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Why so much variance in human intelligence?
Glenn Horn10

I have seen articles that track IQ of countries in Northern Hemisphere vs countries along the equator. The IQ of people in colder countries is significantly higher than along the equator. Maybe historically people who lived in cold climates had to struggle to survive against the climate and this caused them to exercise larger % of the brain in order to survive??

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-1lutralutra
You have to struggle to survive even harder in hotter temperatures or at least that is how I feel. Nowadays, I associate higher temperatures with an invitation to leisure and laziness somehow. Also it happnes that the countries along the Equator are somewhat less developed or have been dealing with political, climate, economical and health issues most of their existence.
How Can People Evaluate Complex Questions Consistently?
Answer by Glenn Horn20

I recommend Richard Feynman's writings. Read about his role in solving the messy problem of the Challenger Disaster. Feynman did not trust complex methods with hidden assumptions Instead he started with basic physics and science and derived hypotheses and conclusions.

A second scientists whose method I think is under-appreciated is Darwin. His simple methods came to conclusions from very messy data. He is noted for exactness and attention to details and creating the science of evolution.

LOL - "When will [country] develop the nuclear bomb?... (read more)

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3Kinrany
Typo: it's The Undercover Economist
1Glenn Horn
I think your question is unclear because the question says How can people answer a question consistently? But it appears instead of learning how to answer messy questions yourself you want to know why others do not give consistent answers. Given diverse input information and different backgrounds I am not surprised that the answers vary. This page is a good example of the variability of answers. A better plan is to understand the methods and reasoning used by the best experts in thinking have solved problems and answered questions. With this research you can develop criteria and methodology that lead to accurate solutions and consistent answers.