Feminist Critiques of Science

PHIL 160PHIL 160PHIL 160PHIL 160

Merton’s four norms of science:

Merton’s four norms of science:•Universalism•Communism•Disinterestedness•Organized skepticism

•Universalism•Communism•Disinterestedness•Organized skepticism

Does exclusion of women

result in bad science?

Does exclusion of women

result in bad science?

Feminism:Feminism:

Commitment to examine and

address unequal treatment of the

sexes.

Commitment to examine and

address unequal treatment of the

sexes.

Feminist critique of science:Feminist critique of science:

•Examine inequalities in who gets to do science.

•Examine theories that support unequal treatment of the sexes.

Why were women excluded from

science?

Why did it matter?

science?

Why did it matter?

Scientific theories of sex difference

•Females less intelligent•Females less intelligent

•Females less intelligent•Females less rational

•Females less intelligent•Females less rational•Too much schooling makes females infertile

•Females less intelligent•Females less rational•Too much schooling makes females infertilePHIL 160PHIL 160PHIL 160PHIL 160

Fit perfectly with society’s attitudes toward the sexes!

How to tell if these theories are good

Excluding women was justifiable at the time, based on theories of sex difference.

Excluding women was justifiable at the time, based on theories of sex difference.We know now those theories were wrong, so exclusion now would be wrong.

We know now those theories were wrong, so exclusion now would be wrong.

Excluding women was a social/political move.

Excluding women was a social/political move.As a matter of equality of opportunity, excluding women is wrong.

As a matter of equality of opportunity, excluding women is wrong.

Was exclusion of women harmful to

science?

science?•Smaller pool of talent•Smaller pool of talent

science?

science?•Smaller pool of talent•Affects what questions are asked

•Smaller pool of talent•Affects what questions are asked

science?

science?•Smaller pool of talent•Affects what questions are asked•Accuracy and objectivity of scientific knowledge?

•Smaller pool of talent•Affects what questions are asked•Accuracy and objectivity of scientific knowledge?

Did exclusion of women result in less accurate or objective scientific knowledge?

Did exclusion of women result in less accurate or objective scientific knowledge?NO: Proper use of scientific method produces good knowledge, no matter who’s using it.

NO: Proper use of scientific method produces good knowledge, no matter who’s using it.

YES: Tribe of science produces good knowledge only if it is inclusive.

Did exclusion of women result in less accurate or objective scientific knowledge?

Biology & Gender Study Group

Biology & Gender Study GroupFeminist critique of

science can lead to better science.

Feminist critique of science can lead to

better science.

Biology & Gender Study GroupFeminist critique of

science can lead to better science.

Feminist critique of science can lead to

better science.

Helps science live up to the norm of

organized skepticism by questioning unquestioned assumptions.

“… masculinist assumptions have impoverished biology by causing us to focus on certain problems to the exclusion of others, and they have led us to make particular interpretations when equally valid alternatives were available.”

Multiple theories can account for the same

set of data.

Multiple theories can account for the same

set of data.

Quine:Quine:

Microvilli observed,

but ignored in accounts

of fertilization.

WHY?WHY?

of fertilization.

No good way to fit microvilli into gendered

fertilization story.

No good way to fit microvilli into gendered

fertilization story.

WHY?WHY?

Feminist critique as experimental

control:

Be aware of gendered

assumptions

control:

Strive not to build gendered

assumptions into scientific

theories

Strive not to build gendered

assumptions into scientific

theories

assumptions

nucleuscytoplasm

cell membrane

Models of nucleus-cytoplasm relation embodying societal views of marriage

control:

control:Be aware of explanatory pattern forced by gendered thinking

Be aware of explanatory pattern forced by gendered thinking

control:

Consciously consider ungendered explanatory

patterns

Consciously consider ungendered explanatory

patterns

Be aware of explanatory pattern forced by gendered thinking

organized skepticism.

Feminist critique identifies background

assumptions.

Feminist critique identifies background

assumptions.

Examine gendered assumptionsExamine gendered assumptions

Fewer theories based on societal prejudices

More women in science?

Longino:Longino:

Including women in the tribe of science

could make for more objective output.

Including women in the tribe of science

could make for more objective output.

Subjective -Subjective -

how things seem to mehow things seem to me

Objective -Objective -

Objective -Objective -how things actually arehow things actually are

Objective -Objective -how things actually arehow things actually arewhat anyone could seewhat anyone could see

Kuhn:Kuhn:

Same rules applied to same set of data can

lead to different pictures of reality.

Kuhn:Kuhn:

Observations are

theory-laden.

Observations are

theory-laden.

Peer ReviewPeer

Review

Peer ReviewPeer

ReviewMy results (scientific paper)

My results (scientific paper)

Peer ReviewPeer

Review

Journal editorJournal editor

Peer ReviewPeer

ReviewMy results (scientific paper)

Reviewers(other scientists)

Reviewers evaluate the paper

Peer ReviewPeer

Review

Reviewers evaluate the paper • Why not this

interpretation?• Why not this interpretation?

Peer ReviewPeer

Review

interpretation?• How does your finding fit with this other result?

• Why not this interpretation?• How does your finding fit with this other result?

Peer ReviewPeer

Review

interpretation?• How does your finding fit with this other result?• Did you control for X?

• Why not this interpretation?• How does your finding fit with this other result?• Did you control for X?

Peer ReviewPeer

Review

interpretation?• How does your finding fit with this other result?• Did you control for X?• You should also measure this.

• Why not this interpretation?• How does your finding fit with this other result?• Did you control for X?• You should also measure this.

Peer ReviewPeer

Review

Peer ReviewPeer

ReviewI receive reviewsI receive reviews

I receive reviewsI receive reviews

Revise paper to respond to reviewsRevise paper to

respond to reviews

Peer ReviewPeer

Review

respond to reviews

Peer ReviewPeer

respond to reviews

PublishedPublishedPublishedPublishedJournal editorJournal editor

Peer ReviewPeer

Scientific knowledge from

my research plus

Scientific knowledge from

my research plustransformative criticism

and dialogue between me and my scientific

transformative criticism

and dialogue between me and my scientific

Peer ReviewPeer

Review

How composition of the tribe of science

matters:

matters:•If all the members are similar, lots of agreement.

•If all the members are similar, lots of agreement.

matters:

matters:•If all the members are similar, lots of agreement.•But, could be due to shared subjective biases!

•If all the members are similar, lots of agreement.•But, could be due to shared subjective biases!

matters:

matters:•If all the members are similar, lots of agreement.•But, could be due to shared subjective biases!•Dialogue with scientists with whom we disagree weeds out subjective bias.

•If all the members are similar, lots of agreement.•But, could be due to shared subjective biases!•Dialogue with scientists with whom we disagree weeds out subjective bias.

matters:

matters:•If all the members are similar, lots of agreement.•But, could be due to shared subjective biases!•Dialogue with scientists with whom we disagree weeds out subjective bias.•Diverse community increases chances of disagreement.

•If all the members are similar, lots of agreement.•But, could be due to shared subjective biases!•Dialogue with scientists with whom we disagree weeds out subjective bias.•Diverse community increases chances of disagreement.

Clash of background assumptions brings

them out of the

background, opens them to

scrutiny.

Clash of background assumptions brings

them out of the

background, opens them to

scrutiny.

Feminist Critiques of Science

Education

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