The Scientific Fundamentalist

A Look at the Hard Truths About Human Nature

By Satoshi Kanazawa

Everything I ever needed to know in life I learned from South Park

By Satoshi Kanazawa on June 28, 2009 - 5:15pm in The Scientific Fundamentalist

I am a big fan of South Park. In my mind, the perspective of the creators of South Park (Matt Stone and Trey Parker) on every social and political issue of the day is right on the mark, and I proudly identify myself as a “South Park Republican,” which essentially means libertarian. I love South Park because, among other things, Stone and Parker have better understanding of human nature than supposed experts like Richard Dawkins. Read More

Men sexually harass women because they are not sexist II

By Satoshi Kanazawa on April 26, 2009 - 6:41pm in The Scientific Fundamentalist

The legal scholar Kingsley R. Browne explains the quid pro quo type of sexual harassment in terms of men’s evolved psychological mechanisms which incline them to pursue short-term sexual relationships by any means available to them, exacerbated by women’s tendency to understate their sexual interest in a particular man and say “no” when they mean “yes” or “maybe.” How, then, can evolutionary psychology explain the hostile environment type of sexual harassment? Read More

Men sexually harass women because they are not sexist I

By Satoshi Kanazawa on April 19, 2009 - 4:08pm in The Scientific Fundamentalist

One of the unfortunate consequences of the ever-growing number of women joining the labor force and working side by side with men is the increasing number of sexual harassment cases, particularly in the United States. Why is this? Is sexual harassment a necessary and inevitable consequence of the sexual integration of the workplace? What is sexual harassment, anyway, and how can evolutionary psychology explain it? Read More

Common misconceptions about science V: Intelligence

By Satoshi Kanazawa on April 12, 2009 - 7:31pm in The Scientific Fundamentalist

On 13 December 1994, in the aftermath of the publication of The Bell Curve by Richard J. Herrnstein and Charles Murray, a group of 52 scientists, led by the courageous intelligence researcher (and the greatest nemesis of political correctness) Linda S. Gottfredson, published a joint statement entitled “Mainstream Science on Intelligence” in the Wall Street Journal. Read More

Beautiful People Are More Intelligent II

By Satoshi Kanazawa on April 5, 2009 - 5:58pm in The Scientific Fundamentalist

In my previous post, I explain that the reason people have the perception that beautiful people are more intelligent is that they indeed are. Just like virtually all “stereotypes,” this “stereotype” has an empirical basis; beautiful people in fact are more intelligent. But now the important question is why. Why are beautiful people more intelligent? Read More

Beautiful People Are More Intelligent I

By Satoshi Kanazawa on March 29, 2009 - 5:02pm in The Scientific Fundamentalist

Sociologists and social psychologists have long known that there is a widespread perception shared by many people that physically attractive people are more intelligent and competent, as well as hold many other desirable characteristics. A large number of experiments over the years have shown that, when asked to rate the intelligence or competence of unknown others, people tend to rate attractive others as more intelligent and competent than unattractive others. This sentiment is captured in an old aphorism “What is beautiful is good.” But why is this? Why do people believe that physically attractive people are more intelligent and competent? Read More

Mr. Dawkins, tear down this wall!

By Satoshi Kanazawa on March 22, 2009 - 4:51pm in The Scientific Fundamentalist

I am somewhat unusual as a scientist and evolutionary psychologist, in that I strongly support the teaching of creationism and intelligent design in schools. I personally don’t understand why my fellow scientists in general and evolutionary psychologists in particular oppose it so vehemently. Perhaps it’s because I’m old enough to remember (and to have been educated during) the Cold War. Read More

Common misconceptions about science IV: Human cloning

By Satoshi Kanazawa on March 15, 2009 - 5:20pm in The Scientific Fundamentalist

Another common misconception about science concerns human cloning. Human cloning is not what you think, and, just like the production of “designer babies,” human cloning has been practiced for hundreds of thousands of years. I personally blame Michael Keaton for the public misperception of what human cloning is and the public fear and hysteria about it. In his 1996 movie Multiplicity with Andie MacDowell, Keaton’s character manages to clone himself and suddenly there are four identical versions of himself (the original and three clones). Hilarity obviously ensues! Read More

Common misconceptions about science III: Designer babies

By Satoshi Kanazawa on March 8, 2009 - 4:25pm in The Scientific Fundamentalist

The recent announcement by Dr. Jeff Steinberg of the LA Fertility Institutes that they will soon be producing “designer babies” with chosen traits like preferred hair color or eye color has caused an uproar among “medical ethicists” and others throughout the world. The public reaction underscores another common misperception about science. Designer babies are nothing new. Contrary to popular belief, parents have been producing designer babies throughout human history. Read More

Is Aaron Sorkin better than Shakespeare?

By Satoshi Kanazawa on March 2, 2009 - 8:34am in The Scientific Fundamentalist

In his tome Human Accomplishment: The Pursuit of Excellence in the Arts and Sciences, 800 B.C. to 1950 (2003), Charles Murray at one point defines artistic excellence as that which elicits the reaction “How can a human being have done that?” (pp. 144-147). When I ponder the question “How can a human being have done that?” I often think of Aaron Sorkin and his critically acclaimed but short-lived TV series Sports Night. Read More