http://qs1969.pair.com?node_id=105763


in reply to Women Programmers, Sex, Tai Chi and Reincarnation

Okay, I'll step forward, since it was my comment that sparked this.

Yes, I said that the female mind (and brain) is structured differently. At no point did I use the word "inferior". To do so would have been a fallacy and a gross overgeneralization in one, and I make a point of not committing either. The differences between the actual physical brain structures and the functioning of the mind between the two sexes are easily observable. The two work something like matter and space: matter tells space how to curve, and space tells matter how to move. Likewise, the brain provides a space in which the mind can work, and the mind can change the chemical properties of the brain. The fact that these two complex and wonderfully intertwined systems happen to (generally) branch at a gender difference is evident, but not completely understood. (most) Women are better at multitasking, (most) men are better at superfocusing. (most) Women nagvigate by corridors, (most) men navigate by intersections. (most) Women can, under the proper circumstances, produce milk, (most) men can only do it in an emergency (somebody correct me if I'm wrong. This is another citation from a half-remembered source). The differences among these three are superficial, and certainly do not mark either gender as "inferior".

I ask that you read what I write, rather than reading into it.

~Cybercosis

nemo accipere quod non merere