7 ms·

'Physics was built by men': Cern scientist's remark sparks fury

6 points by okket 8y ago

alexgmcm 8y ago
He isn't a 'Cern scientist' - he worked at CERN, not for CERN. Thus CERN have little, if any, control over what he says. It's a shame the media can't cover the actual science that takes place there rather than some nutcase creating drama.
aurizon 8y ago
Equality political correctness maintains that the male brain and female brain are equal. Evolution has built the male body physically different to the female body. These physical differences are obvious, and mainly deal with their roles in procreation. Overlaid on this are mental optimizations that deal with existential aspects, such as child nurturing, hunting, combat etc. These overlays, over time, have led to the larger male physiology - we can see this. Are there mental differences that are not visible, but show up in some metric. One aspect of combat is the ability to co-ordinate the muscular aspects of combat. (here I include such aspects as fist fighting, stone throwing, spear throwing etc). Does the male brain have a superior functional ability in this area? There is some evidence of this. Most ancient armies had more men than women in them. Why? - I suspect it is due to the fact that the average man can defeat the average woman in assorted forms of combat, which would cause army selection to be slanted towards men. This holds true in modern armies where physical combat is a factor. Many armies, most notable of Israel, have found modern combat has a lower need for strength, and have added women to almost all roles. (Elite tactical units, like US Navy Seals, tend to still be fully male - as far as I know) Now this CERN scientist is alleging that some aspect of the male brain shows up in the mental capacity to master particle physics. It is true that if you count heads, or count papers, that men are more highly represented. Is this true to a difference in capabilities, or a physics culture so hostile to women that it is an effective barrier? If it is a hostile culture, we need to change it to level things, as why waste the potential abilities of women in this field.

6 points by okket 8y ago

He isn't a 'Cern scientist' - he worked at CERN, not for CERN. Thus CERN have little, if any, control over what he says. It's a shame the media can't cover the actual science that takes place there rather than some nutcase creating drama.

aurizon 8y ago

Equality political correctness maintains that the male brain and female brain are equal. Evolution has built the male body physically different to the female body. These physical differences are obvious, and mainly deal with their roles in procreation. Overlaid on this are mental optimizations that deal with existential aspects, such as child nurturing, hunting, combat etc. These overlays, over time, have led to the larger male physiology - we can see this. Are there mental differences that are not visible, but show up in some metric. One aspect of combat is the ability to co-ordinate the muscular aspects of combat. (here I include such aspects as fist fighting, stone throwing, spear throwing etc). Does the male brain have a superior functional ability in this area? There is some evidence of this. Most ancient armies had more men than women in them. Why? - I suspect it is due to the fact that the average man can defeat the average woman in assorted forms of combat, which would cause army selection to be slanted towards men. This holds true in modern armies where physical combat is a factor. Many armies, most notable of Israel, have found modern combat has a lower need for strength, and have added women to almost all roles. (Elite tactical units, like US Navy Seals, tend to still be fully male - as far as I know) Now this CERN scientist is alleging that some aspect of the male brain shows up in the mental capacity to master particle physics. It is true that if you count heads, or count papers, that men are more highly represented. Is this true to a difference in capabilities, or a physics culture so hostile to women that it is an effective barrier? If it is a hostile culture, we need to change it to level things, as why waste the potential abilities of women in this field.