HARVARD PRESIDENT CORRECT RE FEMALE / MALE BRAINS
J. Grant Swank, Jr.
Such a fuss made over Harvard President Lawrence H. Summers claiming there are differences between female and male brains. Therefore, men and women have various differing aptitudes and abilities, not all similar between the genders.
For that Summers was "run out of town" by feminists and supporters. For that he was scalded by the liberal media and like enthusiasts in Cambridge. For that he endured much emotional anguish because of the small minded ones who cluster about for the politically correct at Harvard, the supposed citadel of broad minded think tank braggadocio.
It is so interesting to read the letters to the editor of HARVARD MAGAZINE concerning the President’s brave stance. Since his stating his opinions on the subject some time ago, letters continue to be published in the magazine, the most recent issue being July-August 2005.
There Christopher Frederickson, graduate of the class of 1967 wrote: "With 35 years’ experience in the doing and the university teaching of behavioral neuroscience, I can assure you that the brains of men and women are substantially different, when measured by anatomy, functional anatomy, or function (behavior)."
As soon as I read that I wondered why other thinkers located on Harvard campus did not know that basic data. What is going on there? Here there is a Harvard graduate living in Galveston Island, Texas, who provides a fundamental concept that should have been elementary knowledge to the Harvard faculty. Yet obviously it was not.
How loosely can bounce the brain cells of the liberal elite when they keep intact their prejudices. How sad that such intelligent potentials can fall so deeply into their own biases. Yet such is the case. Such has been the case as long as there have been politically correct liberals who believe that their positions are eternal verities.
Frederickson goes on: "Were it not so, by the way, homo sapiens would be qualitatively different from the rest of the mammals ever studied in this respect, all of whom also show sexual dimorphisms of the brain and of behavior. We homo sapiens are pretty darn cute, to be sure, but qualitatively different from the rest of the phylogeny in brain (or kidney, or lung. . .) anatomy and function? Not likely."
Now would not the general public as well as academic community worldwide have concluded a long time ago that those Harvard professors in the various disciplines related to the above subjects would have known what Frederickson presented? If that were so, then Summers would have had his chorus of amens. However, since there seems to be a lot yet to be learned by Harvard instructors, I suppose it really is not surprising that liberal bias overtakes basic knowledge in a particular academic discipline.
I recall as a student at Harvard Divinity School coming upon the same leaning. I, a conservative, was exceptionally ostracized by the liberals surrounding me. Therefore, I learned early on to keep my mouth shut, endure and take note of the stream of prejudices swashing all about my presence.
In that seminary preparing persons for ministry, I came upon only one truly biblically literate professor. All the others were bound by liberal prejudices, therefore they committed themselves to demythologizing the Bible. Consequently, in my opening class in New Testament we students were informed that the virgin birth and physical resurrection of Jesus were to be dismissed as legends. How easy it is to dismiss when liberally prejudiced.
Frederickson continues: "We Harvardians should be proud to have a president who dares speak even unpopular truths. Equal opportunity, protection and access for all sexes, ethic and religious groups, and so forth is a good and mandatory thing for any society. However, the idea that because we all deserve equal opportunity we must therefore pretend that we all have equal aptitude for all things is just plain silly, and demonstrably false."
Thank you, Christopher Frederickson!
Such a fuss made over Harvard President Lawrence H. Summers claiming there are differences between female and male brains. Therefore, men and women have various differing aptitudes and abilities, not all similar between the genders.
For that Summers was "run out of town" by feminists and supporters. For that he was scalded by the liberal media and like enthusiasts in Cambridge. For that he endured much emotional anguish because of the small minded ones who cluster about for the politically correct at Harvard, the supposed citadel of broad minded think tank braggadocio.
It is so interesting to read the letters to the editor of HARVARD MAGAZINE concerning the President’s brave stance. Since his stating his opinions on the subject some time ago, letters continue to be published in the magazine, the most recent issue being July-August 2005.
There Christopher Frederickson, graduate of the class of 1967 wrote: "With 35 years’ experience in the doing and the university teaching of behavioral neuroscience, I can assure you that the brains of men and women are substantially different, when measured by anatomy, functional anatomy, or function (behavior)."
As soon as I read that I wondered why other thinkers located on Harvard campus did not know that basic data. What is going on there? Here there is a Harvard graduate living in Galveston Island, Texas, who provides a fundamental concept that should have been elementary knowledge to the Harvard faculty. Yet obviously it was not.
How loosely can bounce the brain cells of the liberal elite when they keep intact their prejudices. How sad that such intelligent potentials can fall so deeply into their own biases. Yet such is the case. Such has been the case as long as there have been politically correct liberals who believe that their positions are eternal verities.
Frederickson goes on: "Were it not so, by the way, homo sapiens would be qualitatively different from the rest of the mammals ever studied in this respect, all of whom also show sexual dimorphisms of the brain and of behavior. We homo sapiens are pretty darn cute, to be sure, but qualitatively different from the rest of the phylogeny in brain (or kidney, or lung. . .) anatomy and function? Not likely."
Now would not the general public as well as academic community worldwide have concluded a long time ago that those Harvard professors in the various disciplines related to the above subjects would have known what Frederickson presented? If that were so, then Summers would have had his chorus of amens. However, since there seems to be a lot yet to be learned by Harvard instructors, I suppose it really is not surprising that liberal bias overtakes basic knowledge in a particular academic discipline.
I recall as a student at Harvard Divinity School coming upon the same leaning. I, a conservative, was exceptionally ostracized by the liberals surrounding me. Therefore, I learned early on to keep my mouth shut, endure and take note of the stream of prejudices swashing all about my presence.
In that seminary preparing persons for ministry, I came upon only one truly biblically literate professor. All the others were bound by liberal prejudices, therefore they committed themselves to demythologizing the Bible. Consequently, in my opening class in New Testament we students were informed that the virgin birth and physical resurrection of Jesus were to be dismissed as legends. How easy it is to dismiss when liberally prejudiced.
Frederickson continues: "We Harvardians should be proud to have a president who dares speak even unpopular truths. Equal opportunity, protection and access for all sexes, ethic and religious groups, and so forth is a good and mandatory thing for any society. However, the idea that because we all deserve equal opportunity we must therefore pretend that we all have equal aptitude for all things is just plain silly, and demonstrably false."
Thank you, Christopher Frederickson!
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