Delusions of Gender: The Real Science Behind Sex Differences - Softcover

Fine, Cordelia

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1848312016 ISBN 13: 9781848312012

Publisher: Icon Books, 2010

Synopsis

THE BRILLIANT AND HUGELY INFLUENTIAL BOOK BY THE WINNER OF THE 2017 ROYAL SOCIETY INSIGHT INVESTMENT SCIENCE BOOKS PRIZE

‘Fun, droll yet deeply serious.’ New Scientist
‘A brilliant feminist critic of the neurosciences ... Read her, enjoy and learn.’ Hilary Rose, THES
‘A witty and meticulously researched exposé of the sloppy studies that pass for scientific evidence in so many of today’s bestselling books on sex differences.’ Carol Tavris, TLS

Gender inequalities are increasingly defended by citing hard-wired differences between the male and female brain. That’s why, we’re told, there are so few women in science, so few men in the laundry room – different brains are just suited to different things.

With sparkling wit and humour, Cordelia Fine attacks this ‘neurosexism’, revealing the mind’s remarkable plasticity, the substantial influence of culture on identity, and the malleability of what we consider to be ‘hardwired’ difference.

This modern classic shows the surprising extent to which boys and girls, men and women are made – not born.

About this title

Review:

'We are all in [Fine's] debt. She has the expertise to check the research references cited by academic as well as popular books on the subject, and she has the clarity and wit to impart her findings to the lay reader. She exposes shockingly lightweight research that is taken seriously and nuanced research that is misreported.' Author: Guardian

'The hard data is illuminating, and engaging, but Fine manages a light touch throughout. This is a truly startling book.' Author: Independent on Sunday

'Two books came out this year (2010) which, in the long-term, could change how we view gender for ever. ... Cordelia Fine’s ‘Delusions of Gender: The Real Science Behind Sex Differences’ (Icon Books) finally debunked the myth that men and women’s minds are significantly different .... Both books were favourably reviewed and hotly discussed. Over time their conclusions could have far-reaching consequences as significant as ‘The Female Eunuch.’' Author: Viv Groskop, Guardian

'A fascinating subject. A bracing argument.' Author: Evening Standard

''Delusions of Gender' ... carefully and with great precision demolishes the nonsense that pervades the popular and technical literature pretending to be scientific fact, exposing it as truthiness which is nowhere close to truth. ... When I first heard about this book it was clear, even before reading it, that this is the book we've been waiting for. Now, having read it, I can assure you that it is even better than I thought it could be. ... Buy it. Get your friends, your colleagues, your family members to buy it, or buy it for them. Get it to your local school board. Make it required reading, not only in gender studies, but in freshman sociology, biology, education and business courses. Get it on the New York Times bestseller list. ... Our culture is saturated with sloppy self-reinforcing non-thinking about gender. It will take a monumental effort to get it off those tracks. 'Delusions of Gender' is an excellent place to start.' Author: Professor Judy Roitman, Association for Women in Mathematics Newsletter

'Fine is fun, droll yet deeply serious. Setting a cracking pace, Delusions tackles the power of implicit association (those unconscious associations we make about men and women) and of negative stereotyping, plus the empathising/systematising theory proposed by psychologist Simon Baron-Cohen, and the messy world of brain scans and genetic research. Her conclusion: we are in thrall to "neurosexism".' Author: New Scientist

'The result of Fine’s irritation is a witty and meticulously researched exposé of the sloppy studies that pass for scientific evidence in so many of today’s bestselling books on sex differences... Can we stop talking about brains now? Those who can’t, and anyone else who would like to know what today’s best science reveals about gender differences – and similarities – could not do better than read this book.' Author: Carol Tavris, TLS

'['Brain Storm' and 'Delusions of Gender' are] well-informed, well-argued and (for science books, perhaps unusually) well-written interventions in ... one of the most important debates in current sexual politics.' Author: Trouble and Strife Journal

'If you believe that the tide of blue and pink that greets children whenever they walk into a toy or children’s clothes shop is just about colours ... think again.' Author: Working Mums

'This is a book with such a large scope that it’s near-impossible to overestimate its importance. Much like ‘The Spirit Level’ did for socio-economics, this book ropes together decades’ worth of studies on gender differences and casts a cool, calm eye (and an arched brow) over them all... This book will cast a light on gender assumptions you didn’t know you had, and it’s hilarious – with chapter titles such as ‘We Think, Therefore You Are’ and ‘Sex and Premature Speculation,’ Dr Fine is a brilliant tour guide – making light, fun and engaging work of the research. By debunking the rubbish, this book opens up possibilities for a (slightly) clearer vision of the future. Not to be missed.' Author: Fat Quarter

From the Author:

Cordelia Fine is a Professor of the History and Philosophy of Science at the University of Melbourne. She is the author of much-acclaimed A Mind of Its Own (Icon, 2006) and Testosterone Rex (Icon, 2017).

About this edition

• Publisher: Icon Books
• Publication date: 2010
• ISBN 10: 1848312016
• ISBN 13: 9781848312012
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 320