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MrMind comments on Open thread, Oct. 5 - Oct. 11, 2015 - Less Wrong Discussion

7 Post author: MrMind 05 October 2015 06:50AM

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Comment author: skeptical_lurker 07 October 2015 12:34:41PM *  7 points [-]

Well, in other forums he suggested that women have systematically less intelligence than men. So I guess that to him women are not much more than domestic animals.

I don't think the second sentence follows from the first. Children certainly have less intelligence than adults, yet we shouldn't treat children as animals.

(Not that I agree with the first sentence)

Comment author: MrMind 08 October 2015 10:19:00AM 0 points [-]

I don't think the second sentence follows from the first.

Not per se, it follows from the first sentence and NancyLebovitz comment on him denying women autonomy.

Children certainly have less intelligence than adults, yet we shouldn't treat children as animals.

This sentence is weird to me because I was not talking about what I think is right or how to steelman aa's thought.
Anyway, consider these:
- he believes that fully formed females have less intelligence than males;
- he attributes the difference to a systematic genetic trait;
- that he thinks women should be denied autonomy on a basic right.

How would you call the status of a sub-human non-autonomous being? Domestic or friendly animal seems to me quite precise.

Comment author: skeptical_lurker 08 October 2015 11:44:58AM 1 point [-]

Well children are both less intelligent than adults, and non-autonomous, in that they have no choice over whether they go to school etc., so I think my comparison still stands.

I also don't think that someone or some group having below-average intelligence means they are sub-human.

Also, does AA think that women have less general intelligence, or that they are less good specifically at STEM subjects? Because a lot of scientists do think that there are cognitive differences, but balanced, in that women have higher verbal & empathising intelligence.

Comment author: NancyLebovitz 08 October 2015 03:42:27PM 0 points [-]

I don't remember aa saying anything one way or the other about women's intelligence vs. men's.

Comment author: MrMind 13 October 2015 07:42:49AM 0 points [-]

Not here, in another forum. Quoting verbatim (regarding the ability to think abstractly):

"Women generally either lack, or fail to develop, that ability, so they don't think about right and wrong in the way men do."