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From: gwyn@brl-smoke.ARPA (Doug Gwyn )
Newsgroups: net.women,net.sci
Subject: Re: Re: Re: Why are there so few [female|black] physicists?
Message-ID: <2213@brl-smoke.ARPA>
Date: Mon, 14-Jul-86 14:49:16 EDT
Article-I.D.: brl-smok.2213
Posted: Mon Jul 14 14:49:16 1986
Date-Received: Tue, 15-Jul-86 05:53:27 EDT
References: <1970@brl-smoke.ARPA> <320@rtech.UUCP> <2064@brl-smoke.ARPA> <145@sbcs.UUCP>
Reply-To: gwyn@brl.arpa (Doug Gwyn (VLD/VMB) <gwyn>)
Organization: Ballistic Research Lab (BRL), APG, MD.
Lines: 48
Xref: watmath net.women:11301 net.sci:1241

In article <145@sbcs.UUCP> buckley@sbcs.UUCP (Gael Buckley) writes:
>> On (3):  It is not proven that there is absolutely no *natural*
>> influence of sex, race, etc. on profession.  Indeed, I can think
>> of several possible natural causal correlations.  However, this
>> is really beside the point, since even if we were smart enough to
>> know all the factors, there is nothing that can be done to
>> legislate a "natural" balance without harming individual freedom
>> of choice. 
>It is NOT proven there is NO natural influence of sex...????????
>What is this, mildly guilty until proven innocent???!?!?!
>I can conjure many OPINIONS why there are no blacks whatsoever in
>any second level university computer sci. course Ive ever taught,
>but I would PREFER to assume everyone is created equal (gee, I think
>I have heard that somewhere before...) unless there are compelling
>demonstrations otherwise.

Well, to make the point in a way that you may find somewhat offensive,
it is believed by many sex researchers that the nature of the male
sex drive is different from that of the female, and there are many
biological mechanisms involved that are well known to differ, so this
is probably correct.  I suspect that in an absolutely free society there
would be more female prostitutes than male prostitutes, due to higher
market demand.  Prostitution is certainly a sex-linked profession.

I don't know for sure, but I also suspect that a natural balance would
find a different percentage of dark-skinned races employed in outdoor
labor than exists in the population as a whole.

I know of no reason to expect a significant imbalance in professions on
the basis of natural inequitable distribution of intelligence among
races or sexes.

There does seem to be a natural difference in average strength, and
women float better than men due to the subcutaneous layer of fat, etc.
Some professions may naturally favor certain characteristics such as
these.  My belief is that it is proper to discriminate among individuals
on the basis of demonstrable job qualifications (and that fair treatment
*requires* such discrimination), but not by considering an individual as
a member of a stereotyped "class".

It is obvious to anyone who has watched children develop that not all
individuals are created equal.  There is much other evidence of this
too.  You may indeed prefer to believe otherwise, but that doesn't
change reality.

(At this point the old-guard philosophers usually rush in to attack
the idea that there is such a thing as an objective reality.  Let's
ignore any such diversionary tactics.)