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Sexuality and neuroscience
Sexuality and neuroscience
Comments
Submitted by Doug Woodard on January 24, 2017 - 7:20am.
Interview with Deborah W. Soh, sex researcher and neuroscientist:
http://quillette.com/category/science-tech/
January 24, 2017
Submitted by Timebandit on January 24, 2017 - 9:55am.
Interesting. She makes the issue of sex difference in the brain sound more settled than it is, though. That's a nasty swipe she makes at those who disagree with her - must have a political agenda, no t rely more n the science. My understanding is that nobody is denying there are differences between male and female brains, just that the scale of difference is so small and with such significant overlap of individuals in both classes as to make those differences nearly meaningless. I'd also point out that there's a good career model in confirming people's cultural biases.
Submitted by Doug Woodard on January 24, 2017 - 10:01am.
Timebandit, I reckon that as long as there are several scientists working in the field the biases will be dealt with. Much better than leaving it to the ideologists.
Submitted by Timebandit on January 24, 2017 - 10:06am.
But it isn't being left to ideologists, and I think it's damaging to her credibility to suggest that it is. She's dismissing the other neuroscientists who disagree with her. That makes me question her a little more - it's usually a red flag for me when I'm checking out experts in the development phase of a science doc.
Submitted by 6079_Smith_W on January 24, 2017 - 10:13am.
Science and ideology never were mutually exclusive. They are the gang who brought us forced sterilization, hysteria, lobotomy, and pathologized everything, after all.
I agree that it is interesting, and I agree that it is unsettling to see someone too sure of what the data means, especially in a field that isn't hard science. And behaviour is pretty far from a hard science.
Submitted by Timebandit on January 24, 2017 - 10:25am.
Yes. But my understanding is that recent science has found that there are no wholly male or female brains, we all have mixed characteristics. When I see a scientist refer to behavioural traits as belonging to one gender or the other, I have to question confirmation bias - not an unusual problem when it comes to social and behavioural sciences.
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