Posted on 05/09/2010 6:53:29 AM PDT by mattstat
The Question
No. That is to say, Yes. But not really. Actually, what we have here is an badly phrased question: just what do we mean when we ask “Are men smarter than women”?
We’re asking this again, because (via HotAir) The Daily Mail has asked. And, even though that paper is, as many readers have insisted, England’s equivalent of the New York Post, an article by retired professor Richard Lynn has, as they say in journalism, stirred up controversy.
Judging by the comments garnered at the paper and at HotAir, most do not understand the question, or purposely—or willfully—misunderstand it. Part of the difficulty is that the question is badly put.
Interpretation one: all men are smarter than all women. This is false, obviously. And not on any theoretical grounds: its falsity rests on a solid empirical base.
Interpretation two: some men are smarter than some women. This is clearly true; it has been amply empirically verified. But so has its inverse: some women are smarter than some men.
Interpretation three: some men are smarter than all women. This is true; but once more, so is its opposite: some women are smarter than all men. How can this be?
What’s Smarter?
Because we, like everybody else, have been playing fast and loose with the word “smarter.” We’re letting everybody interpret the word, via the question, in any way they like.
Before we go farther, we have to understand the differences in types of evidence used in answering who’s “smarter.” There are three: empirical observations, “theory”, and counterfactual arguments.
We can dismiss theoretical “evidence” immediately. There are only two theories of any importance. The first we might call political correctness. This states that...
(Excerpt) Read more at wmbriggs.com ...
Obama is, at heart, a woman. Why would he appoint a man?
Larry Sinclair agrees.
MEN ARE JUST HAPPIER PEOPLE
NICKNAMES
If Laura, Kate and Sarah go out for lunch, they will call each other Laura, Kate and Sarah.
If Mike, Dave and John go out, they will affectionately refer to each other as Fat Boy, Godzilla and Four-eyes.
EATING OUT
When the bill arrives, Mike, Dave and John will each throw in $20, even though it’s only for $32.50. None of them will have anything smaller and none will actually admit they want change back.
When the girls get their bill, out come the pocket calculators.
MONEY
A man will pay $2 for a $1 item he needs.
A woman will pay $1 for a $2 item that she doesn’t need but it’s on sale.
BATHROOMS
A man has six items in his bathroom: toothbrush and toothpaste, shaving cream, razor, a bar of soap, and a towel
The average number of items in the typical woman’s bathroom is 337. A man would not be able to identify more than 20 of these items.
ARGUMENTS
A woman has the last word in any argument.
Anything a man says after that is the beginning of a new argument.
FUTURE
A woman worries about the future until she gets a husband.
A man never worries about the future until he gets a wife.
SUCCESS
A successful man is one who makes more money than his wife can spend.
A successful woman is one who can find such a man.
MARRIAGE
A woman marries a man expecting he will change, but he doesn’t.
A man marries a woman expecting that she won’t change, but she does.
DRESSING UP
A woman will dress up to go shopping, water the plants, empty the trash, answer the phone, read a book, and get the mail.
A man will dress up for weddings and funerals.
NATURAL
Men wake up as good-looking as they went to bed.
Women somehow deteriorate during the night.
OFFSPRING
Ah, children. A woman knows all about her children. She knows about dentist appointments and romances, best friends, favorite foods, secret fears and hopes and dreams.
A man is vaguely aware of some short people living in the house.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
A married man should forget his mistakes. There’s no use in two people remembering the same thing!
Who's third in line to the presidency?
It’s a complementary system, nonidentical in aptitudes, there ARE distinct gender apitudes of superiorty—deal with it.
HOWEVER each sex brings different yet essential attributes and aptitudes to the equation in greater quantity or quality than the other.
By DESIGN.
We should not use our gender weaknesses or strengths to hammer one another —but we should be allowed to objectively observe and investigate them without fear of sexism-it’s part of the complex, integrated and beautiful system.
We are not identical (Thank God) but equally VALUABLE and in fact ESSENTIAL to the survival of the species.
An unusually poor article from a site that is often very good.
>”More women vote Democrat.”
And, it’s a proven fact that most women vote for appearance, rather than issues. Thats how Klinton got elected. Research after his election showed that over 80% of women who voted for Klinton did so because they thought he was “handsome”.
At that point, I lost a whole lot of respect for the female political attitude.
I hate going up against female attorneys.
I’m smart enough to fake a heart attack if asked “does this dress make me look fat?”.
A few years ago Jimmy Kimmel did a scam where he set up booth with the sign "end women's suffrage." Quite a few women were more than eager to sign the petition. Only one woman figured him out. Having said that, I would say men and women are about equal in intelligence. I doubt many men know what suffrage means either.
Especially since Mark Twain answered it about 170 years ago when he said, "We are all ignorant, just about different things."
However, that may be unfair. Most questions of logic and philosophy were answered thousands of years ago - but we forget.
The Founders of this country did not give women the right to vote. They were correct.
There are however statistically very powerful differences
in how the genders use the firepower they have
Although there are bell curves every where in these generalizations...
And all statements fail to some degree from individual to individual
Women are better at diffused awareness and attention to detail
Men are better at focused awareness and attention to specific tasks
Women are better at Bi-Hemispheric Tasks
- Using both sides of the brain at the same time
Men are better at Lateralized Hemispheric Tasks
- Using one side, or the other at a time, but not both
Women require an active effort to
Not attend to an unexpected stimulus
Men require an active effort
To attend to an unexpected stimulus
Post Pubescent Men are powerfully manipulated in the Endorphin pathways
- by Visual Presentations of Female Surface Anatomy
- a response indistinguishable to a narcotic rush
Post Pubescent Women do Not get an Endorphin rush
- by Visual Presentations of Male Surface Anatomy
Prepubescent Girls generally Underestimate their own capabilities
Prepubescent Boys generally Overestimate their own capabilities
Parents do the same thing,
- underestimating the girl children
- overestimating the boy children
- Mothers and Fathers both do it to the same degree
Men are Physically Stronger
- But Medically more fragile, and have shorter lifespans
Women are Physically Weaker
- But Medically Tougher, and have longer lifespans
Were it not for a single diagnosis - Breast Cancer
- Women would live about 10 years longer than men
Overall, the Genders are identical in total firepower
But might as well be Different Species
for how they see the World Differently
The Genders would do well to learn to Honor each other
For being Honorable to their given Gifts
Even if the do NOT understand each other
And find the other Gender VERY ODD
These are not Judgements, but
The consequences of these differences permeate society
Women are better at Comparative logic
- Decision mapping Comparing This versus That
Men are better at Logic vs Principle
- Comparing Something against some Principle
Women are better at Situational Behavior
Men are better at Behavior vs Principle
Women use this during Dating
- If you know what Principles a Man has in his Head
- You can predict his Behavior
Not even Women can predict other Women
Freud once lamented the question
- What is it that Women Want?
The Question was later answered as
- Women Want Options
“Options”?
I think they want security...at least that’s what they all start yellin when I approach em.
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