Help me figure out the meaning of this

Question

I came across a particular paragraph / sentence here (not written by me) that I need help to figure out.

"But given everything we already know about how brains work, I am confident that we can now throw away the very idea that there is an "essence" to the male or female brain."

Does it mean that there is no difference between the male or female brain? Purely linguistically speaking now. Also what does essence really means here?

Here is the paragraphs / context to the sentence that which is situated above:

"Given that scientists are still working on how the brain perceives colors and shapes, I think we are a long way before we can confidently assert that female brains are essentially unfit for productive careers in science and analytic thinking."

"Without a working theory of how the brain makes math and science even possible, how can we assert with confidence that female brains are essentially unfit for such fields by virtue of some vague anatomical difference?"

Does the ”essentially unfit” refer to the same as "essence" above?

I'm confused.

Clive · Accepted Answer

Hi,

I came across a particular paragraph / sentence here (not written by me) that I need help to figure out.

"But given everything we already know about how brains work, I am confident that we can now throw away the very idea that there is an "essence" to the male or female brain."

Does it mean that there is no difference between the male or female brain? Yes Purely linguistically speaking now. Also what does essence really means here? Something inborn, something innnate.

Here is the paragraphs / context to the sentence that which is situated above:

"Given that scientists are still working on how the brain perceives colors and shapes, I think we are a long way before we can confidently assert that female brains are essentially unfit for productive careers in science and analytic thinking."

This is not a well-writtn sentence. And the meaning does not seem like a modern one.

"Without a working theory of how the brain makes math and science even possible, how can we assert with confidence that female brains are essentially unfit for such fields by virtue of some vague anatomical difference?" Again, this meaning does not seem like a modern one.

Does the ”essentially unfit” refer to the same as "essence" above? Yes.

Clive

Anonymous · Answer

Thanks for the response. For Clarification I wonder:

This sentence:

"I am confident that we can now throw away the very idea that there is an "essence" to the male or female brain."

I rewrite it (slightly):

"I am confident that there is no difference between the male and female brain"

Does both these sentences mean the same thing?

"I am confident that we can now throw away the very idea that there is an "essence" to the male or female brain."

=

"I am confident that there is no difference between the male and female brain"

Clive · Answer

Hi,

Broadly speaking, yes.

But if you consider carefully, 'we can now throw away' suggests that people in the past thought that there was a difference, but that now something has happened to show that this idea is not correct.

Sentence #2 does not suggest these nuances.

Clive

Anonymous · Answer

Thanks. For further clarification:

I omit the first two context sentences (lets assume they do not exist in reference / context to the sentence: "But given everything we already know about how brains work, I am confident that we can now throw away the very idea that there is an “essence” to the male or female brain."). They are:

"Given that scientists are still working on how the brain perceives colors and shapes, I think we are a long way before we can confidently assert that female brains are essentially unfit for productive careers in science and analytic thinking."

"Without a working theory of how the brain makes math and science even possible, how can we assert with confidence that female brains are essentially unfit for such fields by virtue of some vague anatomical difference?"

I do not omit the first statement (the one I mean here is the: "I am confident that we can now throw away the very idea that there is an "essence" to the male or female brain." etc) of the original text.

Here are another (second) context / sentence (I don't omit these, assume they exist) to the text:

[color=blue]"The only thing “essential” about the female and male brain is the essential tendency to change, adapt, and robustly respond to varying environmental conditions."[/color]

(^ this second blue sentence / context is situationed [u]below[/b] the rest / other of the quoted text)

Given the above (conditions); broadly speaking; would both of the following sentences mean the same thing?:

"I am confident that there is no difference between the male and female brain"

=

"I am confident that we can now throw away the very idea that there is an "essence" to the male or female brain."

Clive · Answer

Hi,

I don't clearly understand your post, but with regard to the two sentences at the end my reply is the same as before.

Clive

Anonymous · Answer

Red sentence:

"""I am confident that we can now throw away the very idea that there is an "essence" to the male or female brain."[/color][/b]

Blue sentence:

"""The only thing "essential" about the female and male brain is the essential tendency to change, adapt, and robustly respond to varying environmental conditions"[/color][/b]

I assume the red sentence means that there is no difference between the male and female brain.

I might assume that the blue sentence contradict my interpretation/assumption of the red sentence.

My assumption that the blue sentence contradicts the red sentence (or my assumption/interpretation of red sentence) is most likely wrong.

Both green and blue sentence constitute the whole text (in this case).

""I assume "essential" and "essentially" and “essence” means the same sort of definition everywhere in the whole text[/color]. (I assume “essential” and “essentially” are other “forms of usage” of “essence” which uses the same definition of "essence"). These words ("essential", "essentially", "essence" etc) and their usage in relation to the whole original text confuse me[/b]. I assume these words ("essential", "essentially", "essence" etc) are somewhat closely linked to each other in the original text.

I assume that the whole meaning of the whole text means that there is no difference between the male and female brain[/b] due to the red sentence and my assumption/interpretation of the red sentence.

My assumption of the whole meaning of the whole text might be wrong due to further contextual sentences (in this case the blue sentence) that might contradict/falsify my assumption/interpretation of the red sentence.

Or maybe those contextual sentences simply contradict/falsify the red sentence without my assumption/interpretation of the red sentence.

""Something X[/b][/color] is written somewhere in the text and I get one interpretation of ""something X[/b][/color] and then ""something Y[/b][/color] further written in the rest of the text elsewhere contradicts my interpretation of ""something X[/b][/color] but I don't get that because I'm so confused by the potential obscure language (and grammar) of the whole text.

Does the context sentences contradict my assumption that the right meaning of the whole text (which is): that there is no difference between the male and female brain[/b]?

(In this case the context sentences refer to the blue sentence and not[/b] the red one. In other cases the context sentence(s) could be other than just the blue one but not[/b] the red one (in case of my own structure))

Thanks for taking time for responding.

Anonymous · Answer

I did a mistake here. The above "Both green and blue sentence constitute the whole text (in this case)" should instead be "Both red[/b] and blue sentence constitute the whole text (in this case)".

Clive · Answer

Hi,

We are going to run out of colours soon!

"I am confident that we can now throw away the very idea that there is an "essence" to the male or female brain."

Blue sentence:

"The only thing "essential" about the female and male brain is the essential tendency to change, adapt, and robustly respond to varying environmental conditions"

I assume the red sentence means that there is no difference between the male and female brain. I wouldn't completely say that it means that. The word 'essence' suggest you are talking about innate differences.

I might assume that the blue sentence contradict my interpretation/assumption of the red sentence.Yes

My assumption that the blue sentence contradicts the red sentence (or my assumption/interpretation of red sentence) is most likely wrong. Oh?

Both green and blue sentence constitute the whole text (in this case). But then you start talking below about more of the text.

I assume "essential" and "essentially" and “essence” means the same sort of definition everywhere in the whole text. (I assume “essential” and “essentially” are other “forms of usage” of “essence” which uses the same definition of "essence"). These words ("essential", "essentially", "essence" etc) and their usage in relation to the whole original text confuse me. I assume these words ("essential", "essentially", "essence" etc) are somewhat closely linked to each other in the original text.

I assume that the whole meaning of the whole text means that there is no difference between the male and female brain due to the red sentence and my assumption/interpretation of the red sentence.

My assumption of the whole meaning of the whole text might be wrong due to further contextual sentences (in this case the blue sentence) that might contradict/falsify my assumption/interpretation of the red sentence.

Or maybe those contextual sentences simply contradict/falsify the red sentence without my assumption/interpretation of the red sentence.

Something X is written somewhere in the text and I get one interpretation of something X and then something Y further written in the rest of the text elsewhere contradicts my interpretation of something X but I don't get that because I'm so confused by the potential obscure language (and grammar) of the whole text.

Does the context sentences contradict my assumption that the right meaning of the whole text (which is): that there is no difference between the male and female brain?

(In this case the context sentences refer to the blue sentence and not the red one. In other cases the context sentence(s) could be other than just the blue one but not the red one (in case of my own structure))

Sorry, I can't follow your line of thought. I find it confusing.

Clive

Anonymous · Answer

Red sentence:

"I am confident that we can now throw away the very idea that there is an "essence" to the male or female brain."

Blue sentence:

"The only thing "essential" about the female and male brain is the essential tendency to change, adapt, and robustly respond to varying environmental conditions"

The red sentence says that there is no "essence" (whatever that might be) to the male and female brain. Yet then the blue sentence says that there is in fact an "essence" (to the male and female brain) which is the tendency to change, adapt, and robustly respond to varying environmental conditions. Am I correct?

Clive · Answer

Hi,

Yes.

Clive

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