Also, when you see an evolutionary psychology argument, pay close attention to the implied relationship between is and ought.
The value content of many such arguments is, "There is a disparity between these two groups in society, such that one group is getting the short end of the stick... But it's okay! Hey, look, I can prove both groups are just doing what they're doing because it's their biological destiny - the status quo is the way it should be!"
And also, they're ignoring how incredibly deep culture goes. (But hey, I'm a linguist - I'm more inclined to think in terms of characteristics that are universally human manifesting in specific ways based on what environment people are exposed to, than in terms of irreconcilable genetic differences between groups of humans.)
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timeasmymeasure
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Date: 2008-01-07 09:44 pm (UTC)The value content of many such arguments is, "There is a disparity between these two groups in society, such that one group is getting the short end of the stick... But it's okay! Hey, look, I can prove both groups are just doing what they're doing because it's their biological destiny - the status quo is the way it should be!"
And also, they're ignoring how incredibly deep culture goes. (But hey, I'm a linguist - I'm more inclined to think in terms of characteristics that are universally human manifesting in specific ways based on what environment people are exposed to, than in terms of irreconcilable genetic differences between groups of humans.)