Gender is one of the first things we notice about the people around us. But where do our ideas about gender come from? Can gender differences be explained by genes and chromosomes, or are they the result of upbringing, culture and the environment? This week, we delve into the debate over nature vs. nurture, and meet the first person in the United States to o ... Show More
Feb 16
Why You're Smarter Than You Think
From the time we're schoolchildren, we're ranked and sorted based on how smart we are. But what if our assumptions about intelligence limit our potential? This week, we revisit a favorite 2022 conversation with cognitive scientist Scott Barry Kaufman, who proposes a more expansiv ... Show More
1h 34m
Dec 2021
Using Math To Rethink Gender (encore)
Gender is infused in many aspects of our world — but should that be the case? According to mathematician Eugenia Cheng, maybe not. In her new book, x+y, she challenges readers to think beyond their ingrained conceptions of gender. Instead, she calls for a new dimension of thinkin ... Show More
13m 56s
Jan 2019
The biology of gender, from DNA to the brain | Karissa Sanbonmatsu
How exactly does gender work? It's not just about our chromosomes, says biologist Karissa Sanbonmatsu. In a visionary talk, she shares new discoveries from epigenetics, the emerging study of how DNA activity can permanently change based on social factors like trauma or diet. Lear ... Show More
12m 51s
Sep 2020
Die Gender-Debatte in Deutschland – SG #215
Es tut mir leid, dass ich in diesem Fall nicht so richtig vom Anglizismus wegkomme. Natürlich kann ich sagen, dass es in der heutigen Episode über die Geschlechterdebatte geht – aber das Wort Gender hat sich in Deutschland mittlerweile durchgesetzt. Es geht heute also um Männer, ... Show More
9m 2s
Feb 2020
Ep. 235: Judith Butler's "Gender Trouble" (Part One)
On Gender Trouble: Feminism and the Subversion of Identity (1990). Is gender socially constructed, and if so, how? Butler describes gender not as an essential quality of a person, but as "performed," as habits of acting in certain ways in accordance with customs. Her idea of soci ... Show More
51m 37s