The Knack

When Larry Sommers pointed to the elephant in the room, biological differences, as something to investigate in the search of explanations in the disparity between men and women in engineering and related fields - he instantly touched that third rail and became a martyr to political correctness.

The American Enterprise Institue soldiers on however:

Last week, the American Enterprise Institute brought together top researchers on sex differences, ranging from the strongly feminist Brandeis women's studies scholar Rosalind Barnett to AEI scholar and co-author of "The Bell Curve," Charles Murray. The discussions were heated, but civil. No one got mad, fled the room weeping, or nearly fainted.

Christina Hoff Sommers notes AEI hasn't settled the science on this but mentioned an interesting study:

Simon Baron-Cohen, a professor at Cambridge University and one of the world's leading experts on autism, had an intriguing hypothesis. Autism is far more common in males than females. Those afflicted with the disorder, including those with normal or high IQ, tend to be socially disconnected and clueless about the emotional states of others. They often exhibit an obsessive fixation on objects and machines.

Ms Sommers writes "Sound like anyone you know?"

Originally posted in UNCoRRELATED Oct 16 2007