Quote:
Originally posted by MrPeanut
Am sad I missed that discussion on gender. I agree with Lipton, for the most part, but wouldn't necessarily rule out the possibility that men (on average) could be natural predisposed to excel at innovation (beyond just the inherent advantages the system may afford to men) as a result of the male brain having comparatively stronger spatial/conceptual reasoning/visualization skills on average.
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While you obviously can't rule out the possibility that that is the case, your statement is a gross oversimplification of neuronal structures. The media has unfortunately popularized a lot of concepts, such as the one you mention, without getting into the confounding factors and complications. Society likes to perpetuate as many sex differences as it can so it's no surprise that the media likes to leave these things out. It is fallacious to perpetuate the idea that because we can (sometimes) see sex differences in the brain (and, as such, biological differences). that they are inherent and innate in the sexes. The neuroscientists know that the story isn't so simple. The brain is highly(!!) plastic. It is very possible that these neuronal differences came about because of social gendering.
If you are placed on a pedestal as a man and are afforded the opportunities to engage and develop your spatial/conceptual skills, your neuronal structures will generally develop and reflect that pattern. It's the Chicken or the Egg conundrum. We shape society but it's easy to lose track of the fact that society shapes us in ways we may not realize.
Lady Gaga is horrible and I'm glad she wants to release Jazz albums for the rest of her basic life and fade away into nothingness.
