Sex, Values, and Human NaturePhilosophy 202May 29: Sex, Values, and Human Nature Philosophy 202 May 29 Announcements: Read: Fausto-Sterling articles on web page Exam 1 Wednesday


Sex/Gender Schema: Sex/Gender Schema


Explaining Gender Differences: Explaining Gender Differences


Self-Fulfilling Prophesy: Self-Fulfilling Prophesy Boys get treated the way common sense (internalized SG Schema) says boys ought to be treated. Girls get treated the way common sense (internalized SG Schema) says girls ought to be treated So, girls and boys come to behave the way common sense (internalized SG Schema) says girls and boys ARE. You become what your practice being


Common Sense Lenses: Common Sense Lenses The culture’s Sex/Gender schema is internalized through Self-fulfilling Prophecy = Common Sense Lenses A Conceptual Framework for understanding, interacting, and, predicting the behavior of other people and yourself. This framework of understanding is then used by SFP to construct the next generation of the culture Dialectic


Review: Review Write out an SC explanation of the following observation: American women are more empathetic than American men. Empathetic - sensitive to the emotions of others


The Construction of Sexual Desire: The Construction of Sexual Desire 'Masculine Sexuality' vs. 'Feminine Sexuality'? Agency Sexual Double Standard Sexual vs Sensual? Heteronormativity = Normative Heterosexuality Cultural institutions and systems that serve to reinforce hegemonic heterosexual sexuality. Hegemonic = the processes by which the dominant culture maintains its dominance.


Heteronormativity: Heteronormativity Heterosexuality is NATURAL sexuality NaturalN = Good or 'right' Challenges to hegemonic heterosexuality? Trans-Gender people Homosexuals Bi-sexuals


Heteronormativity: Heteronormativity


Heteronormativity: Heteronormativity


Heteronormativity: Heteronormativity


Science and Objectivity: Science and Objectivity How do SC account for the 'fact' that there are cross-cultural and cross-species (universal) gender differences? Bilateral Symmetry Male aggression Female 'choosiness' Can’t we 'see' that the BD claims about the reality of universal aspects of human nature are true? Doesn’t 'seeing it' with our own eyes make it true?


“Biology as Ideology”Judith Lorber: 'Biology as Ideology' Judith Lorber 'Culture shapes scientific observation' 'Believing is Seeing' Is she really saying that culture affects what we see when we look at the world?


BD: Observation is theory-neutral: BD: Observation is theory-neutral Material Reality 'Objective' Reality Phenomenal Reality =


BD: Observation is theory-neutral: BD: Observation is theory-neutral Material Reality 'Objective' Reality Phenomenal Reality = CSL: Theory


Culture Shapes Scientific Observation : Culture Shapes Scientific Observation Ambroise Pare´ (Surgeon-1550) What is he looking at? What does he see? Just him?


Georg Bartisch (1575): Georg Bartisch (1575)


Culture Shapes Scientific Observation: Culture Shapes Scientific Observation Why did 16th C. Surgeons see uterus/ovaries as internal penis/testes? 16th C. European culture socially organized (1) Great Chain of Being (2) Aristotle (Heat and Perfection)


Great Chain of Being: Great Chain of Being


Lorber concludes...: Lorber concludes... 'If social organization shapes the way we see the world, and if scientific observation is a way of seeing the world, then science is the product of culture…'