Roy Baumeister made a presentation last month at the American Psychological Association that is a flash of cold reality to some, heresey to others and a welcomed breath of intellectual honesty to others.
Professor Denis Dutton chronicals Dr. Baumeister’s presentation on his site. Here are some of his points that resonated strongly with me:
1) “Almost certainly, it is something biological and genetic. And my guess is that the greater proportion of men at both extremes of the IQ distribution is part of the same pattern. Nature rolls the dice with men more than women. Men go to extremes more than women. It’s true not just with IQ but also with other things, even height: The male distribution of height is flatter, with more really tall and really short men”
“… In an important sense, men really are better AND worse than women.”
2) “Maybe the differences between the genders are more about motivation than ability. This is the difference between can’t and won’t.
3) “The gist of our view was that there are two different ways of being social. In social psychology we tend to emphasize close, intimate relationships, and yes, perhaps women specialize in those and are better at them than men. But one can also look at being social in terms of having larger networks of shallower relationships, and on these, perhaps, men are more social than women.”
4) “As a result, culture mainly arose in the types of social relationships favored by men. Women favor close, intimate relationships. These are if anything more important for the survival of the species. That’s why human women evolved first. We need those close relationships to survive. The large networks of shallower relationships aren’t as vital for survival — but they are good for something else, namely the development of larger social systems and ultimately for culture.”
My take: Dr. Baumeister is thoughtful and heroic in presenting a view that no doubt will be viewed as heretical by those who like to view the world as they wish it to be… and not the way it apparently is.
Roger Freberg
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