Despite writing much about this before (in the links below) I needed to collate again and add the recent Twitter exchange with Jonathan Haidt (also below):
Vive la Différence – April 2015 prompted by gender difference denial by Alice Roberts with Michael Mosely in BBC2 Horizon 29th September 2014. Gender difference is a good thing, better not to deny it.
Vive la Différence ” Let’s Get Physical – March 2016 prompted by PC response to Djokovic opinions about earnings of female tennis players. (Maybe need to also to consider the recent BBC presenter earnings gender differential – more market than either psychological or physical gender differences – where market is probably most appropriate for celebrity media presenters – so long as BBC is expected to behave as a market player, but that’s a separate non-gender issue?)
Vive La Différance, Again – Feb 2017 prompted my more general polarisation issues in our “Age of Extremes”. Gender is obviously binary (conventionally, there are of course grey, fuzzy exceptions) but true of so many this<>that labels.
The Google Gender & Diversity Furore – August 2017 my original reaction to the Google memo.
The reason to collect these previous links, a series of tweets via Jonathan Haidt regarding The Economist analysis of the Google Memo.
The best reasoned critique of Damore memo I have seen yet, from @TheEconomist https://t.co/5boMkx0kqa pic.twitter.com/6beSyZIuvm
” Jonathan Haidt (@JonHaidt) August 15, 2017
I need to dial back my praise of this. It makes many smart points, but is too harsh on Damore for motivated reasoning. A better critique…
” Jonathan Haidt (@JonHaidt) September 6, 2017
Agreed. I found myself defending him against some of this.
” Ian Glendinning (@psybertron) September 6, 2017
That is the reasoning and analysis are indeed thorough and nuanced, but the actual argument is too biased – clearly intended to attack the offender for his motives, rather than stick to the facts.
A better critique comes from @saletan who focuses on better and worse ways to talk about differences: https://t.co/lhR7Bp1Q1i pic.twitter.com/zNauKARSTQ
” Jonathan Haidt (@JonHaidt) September 6, 2017
“gender balance as the engine
of intellectual diversity and innovation”
Absolutely. “Vive la différance” female gender advantages as source of diversity to be valued in the gene/meme pool. https://t.co/E1OX6NeGKS
” Ian Glendinning (@psybertron) September 6, 2017
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[Post Note: An earlier recent “Brains and Gender” addition, and the biological never ends:
How about choice to wear skirt or trousers?Religious hardliners wd approve taking away girls’ freedom like this. pic.twitter.com/h5a9nG9aFD
” Samira Ahmed (@SamiraAhmedUK) September 7, 2017