It’s both scholarly field and social movement. And scholars involved in it may be involved in one or both elements.
Feminism is a HUGE tent. It provides a framework for everyone from economists studying what factors drive labor participation rates among women to judges ruling on a case of sexual harassment to a film critic analyzing a character. There are probably tens of thousands of academics alone (forget lawyers, legislators, lobbyists and journalists) who would say feminism influences their work. This includes many who are very quantitative and empirical.
What does this “scholarly field” study that is not covered by the usual social sciences? And, given that we are on LW, how prevalent do you think is motivated cognition in this field of study?
Feminism is a HUGE tent.
What covers everything covers nothing.
How would you define feminism—in a useful way, specifying what kind of a thing is it and how it’s different from other similar things?
This is getting very Socratic. I don’t know what your assumptions are or what would satisfy you as a definition and it is beginning to get frustrating to figure out, but I think these two links are pretty good.
As for motivated cognition, of course it’s present, as it is virtually everywhere in life and academia. Do you have a more specific case?
Remember that though the humanities and softer social sciences have all sorts of flaws that are easy to make fun of, they don’t submit grants for $100 million dollar construction projects with stated goals they know to be totally unachievable (I’m looking at you local university particle accelerator). Don’t condemn the field just by its sins.
As for motivated cognition, of course it’s present, as it is virtually everywhere in life and academia
Don’t you think that being both a field of study and a social movement aiming to change prevalent values and social structures offers especially rich opportunities for motivated cognition? Compared to the baseline of life and academia average?
they don’t submit grants for $100 million dollar construction project
That’s peanuts. When social scientists fuck things up, the cost is in millions of human lives. Exhibit A: Karl Marx.
Don’t condemn the field just by its sins.
Well, the problem is that I don’t think it’s a field of study at all. I think it is, as you said, a project to change the society.
It’s both scholarly field and social movement. And scholars involved in it may be involved in one or both elements.
Feminism is a HUGE tent. It provides a framework for everyone from economists studying what factors drive labor participation rates among women to judges ruling on a case of sexual harassment to a film critic analyzing a character. There are probably tens of thousands of academics alone (forget lawyers, legislators, lobbyists and journalists) who would say feminism influences their work. This includes many who are very quantitative and empirical.
What does this “scholarly field” study that is not covered by the usual social sciences? And, given that we are on LW, how prevalent do you think is motivated cognition in this field of study?
What covers everything covers nothing.
How would you define feminism—in a useful way, specifying what kind of a thing is it and how it’s different from other similar things?
This is getting very Socratic. I don’t know what your assumptions are or what would satisfy you as a definition and it is beginning to get frustrating to figure out, but I think these two links are pretty good.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gender_studies
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feminist_theory
As for motivated cognition, of course it’s present, as it is virtually everywhere in life and academia. Do you have a more specific case?
Remember that though the humanities and softer social sciences have all sorts of flaws that are easy to make fun of, they don’t submit grants for $100 million dollar construction projects with stated goals they know to be totally unachievable (I’m looking at you local university particle accelerator). Don’t condemn the field just by its sins.
Don’t you think that being both a field of study and a social movement aiming to change prevalent values and social structures offers especially rich opportunities for motivated cognition? Compared to the baseline of life and academia average?
That’s peanuts. When social scientists fuck things up, the cost is in millions of human lives. Exhibit A: Karl Marx.
Well, the problem is that I don’t think it’s a field of study at all. I think it is, as you said, a project to change the society.