Search Results for: quillette

Head of Swedish Academy announces that Nobel Prizes will be awarded solely for merit, without gender or ethnicity quotas

I can’t say I disagree with this announcement, by Goran Hansson, that the Nobel Prizes will continue to be awarded for merit alone and not for fulfilling quotas involving gender and ethnicity. Click on the article from BBC News to see the story, below which we’ll look at another piece on “quotas.” For some time … Continue reading Head of Swedish Academy announces that Nobel Prizes will be awarded solely for merit, without gender or ethnicity quotas

“Desistance” in two cases of transgender men

This article and this post are surefire attractants for pushback, for they describe how two experienced therapists dealt wth two cases of “desisters”, or people who have started the route to transsexuality but then either reversed or renounced their decisions. While I gather these people are rare compared to those who begin puberty blockers and … Continue reading “Desistance” in two cases of transgender men

“Trans women are women”: J. K. Rowling is demonized again

J. K. Rowling has got herself in trouble again by implying, in the following tweet, that trans women—biological men who take on the gender identity of a woman—aren’t identical to biological women. ‘People who menstruate.’ I’m sure there used to be a word for those people. Someone help me out. Wumben? Wimpund? Woomud? Opinion: Creating … Continue reading “Trans women are women”: J. K. Rowling is demonized again

The issue of transgender prisoners: Where do you place them?

Like all liberals, I favor equal treatment for transgender people, including using the pronouns that they choose for themselves. Previously, though, I’ve drawn the line at sports, in which transgender women, some of whom have undergone neither surgery nor hormone replacement, are allowed in some places to compete with biological women. Given the greater strength … Continue reading The issue of transgender prisoners: Where do you place them?

Sex differences in the brain

For a while I’ve been criticizing ideologically-based scientific claims, including the arguments that “evolutionary psychology is bunk” and “there are no differences between male and female brains in either structure or wiring”. These claims are based on ideology because both are palpably ridiculous from what we know about biology or from recently published research, and … Continue reading Sex differences in the brain

The biology of sex differences in human brains and behaviors: a new book on “neurosexism”

For a while now I’ve written the occasional post about claims that there are no evolved and genetically based differences between male and female behaviors, brains, or hormones. This claim is based not on science but on ideology, stemming from the fear that if you show differences between men and women in these respects, you … Continue reading The biology of sex differences in human brains and behaviors: a new book on “neurosexism”

Claire Lehmann and Debra Soh dismantle John Horgan’s indictment of sexism in science

The mandatory disclaimer first: I’m not claiming that science is free of sexism. No area in which men labor is, since there are always some sexist men. I would argue, though, that we’re doing our best to free the discipline of sexism (most hiring committees, for example,  have a keen look-out for women candidates, and … Continue reading Claire Lehmann and Debra Soh dismantle John Horgan’s indictment of sexism in science

“Testosterone Rex”, a biased polemic, wins the Royal Society book prize

I’ve now finished Cordelia Fine’s newest book, Testosterone Rex: Myths of Sex, Science, and Society. I’ve also read her earlier work, Delusions of Gender: How Our Minds, Society, and Neurosexism Create Difference, so I’ve polished off both of her highly-regarded books on sex differences in behavior. Both books have a similar thesis: there’s essentially no evolved difference … Continue reading “Testosterone Rex”, a biased polemic, wins the Royal Society book prize