Steve Stewart Williams

Quotes

1. The default assumption, in lieu of strong evidence to the contrary, should be that we’re continuous with the rest of the living world, and thus that the differences we see in our species have the same origin as those in every other: natural selection.

   p. 200

2. 

   Many argue that it’s sexist to say, for instance, that women are more parental than men, or that women are more interested in working with people and less interested in working with things. But the accusation can be turned on its head. The idea that such claims are sexist only makes sense if we tacitly assume that the female-typical tendencies are inferior. Why else would it be disparaging to women to say that more women than men exhibit these tendencies? But if women really are more parental than men, or if they really are more interested in working with people, then we’re taking a negative view of traits that are more characteristic of women than men. That’s sexist!

   p. 24

3. 

   Even if toy makers and advertisers could conjure sex differences into existence on a whim, why would they? Toy makers would ideally want both sexes to covet their offerings, not just one or the other, as this would instantly double the size of their market.

   p. 231

4. 

   Men corner the market on what evolutionary biologists call mate-choice failure, with documented cases involving everything from lampposts to trees to vacuum cleaners. We all make mistakes, I guess – but men more often than women.

   p. 140

5. 

   A lot of people want to argue that “Homosexuality is natural; therefore, homosexuality is OK.” I agree that it’s OK, and I agree that it’s natural, but I don’t agree that it’s OK because it’s natural... Consenting adults don’t need a biological justification – or any kind of justification – for who they are or who they love.

   p. 135

6. 

   If you treat a dog like a cat, it’ll still act like a dog. Maybe it’s the same with boys and girls.

   p. 64

7. 

   Even in the healthiest of relationships, a spouse’s or lover’s happiness isn’t necessarily our own. It’s rarely the case, for example, that upon hearing about a partner’s infidelity, people say “Oh, that’s nice! I love my partner, and I’m sure they had fun – so this is great news!”

   p. 210

8. 

   It is true that women get fewer jobs in math-heavy STEM fields. But that’s only because fewer women apply for them. Those who do apply are generally more likely than men to be interviewed and more likely to get the job.

   p. 259

9. 

   Although more men than women make it to the top, more men than women also sink to the bottom – and the overwhelming majority of men don’t end up at either the top or the bottom.

   p. 257

10. 

    We live in an age where, quite rightly, we encourage people to accept and celebrate differences and diversity, and yet we get outraged whenever anyone points any out. Not exactly tolerance of diversity!

    p. 25

11. 

    First question: Do intersex individuals undermine the female-male distinction? First answer: No. On the contrary, it’s only possible to even describe intersex conditions if we assume the female-male distinction. Intersex conditions are, after all, defined as involving a mixture of female- and male-typical attributes.

    p. 38

12. 

    Gender-role traditionalists assume that sex differences are natural, and therefore that they’re good. Gender-role progressives assume that sex differences are bad, and therefore that they’re not natural – or they assume that the absence of sex differences is natural, and therefore that the absence of sex differences is good, and that that’s what we ought to strive for.

    p. 271