2/17, 2/19 post and reflection

Here is a website about Darwin's perception of women. There is an interesting section on skull measurements, and a slew of quotes including our discussion of women's friendship being better than dogs’. I couldn't find anything worth posting about the sexist beliefs of Hall and Galton, so I decided to look at it from Darwin's perspective.

Why, you ask?

Well that brings me to the week in review. This week we talked about Structuralism and Functionalism: their makers, beliefs, uses, and practicality. Structuralism was practiced primarily by Titchner and emphasized discovering the structures of consciousness. Functionalism was practiced by Dewey, Angell, Hall, James, and Cattell. With respect to consciousness, functionalism sought to understand what id did, how it came to be, and what it was for.

I think functionalism is influenced by Darwin's theory of evolution, especially natural selection. The idea that we are in constant competition for resources and survival has led us to question how we came to be, why we think the way we do, and what it is for. Sexism arises with the idea that women were less variable than men, and generally less competent than men. It is interesting to see how psychologists have shaped their studies and biases around belittling women, and even more interesting how scientific perceptions can be a social weapon.

I enjoyed the discussion we had about publication censoring, whether it can be good in some cases or if knowledge is knowledge, no matter what it implies. I invite you to reply with any new thoughts on what would, or would not, be okay to publish for the sake of social norming.

Another thought: do you think there is any popular opinion today that we will look back on and think "My god, I can't believe we ever thought that and allowed such things to be studied!"