"The Case of the Female Orgasm: Bias in the science of evolution", a discussion with Professor Elisabeth A. Lloyd, Indiana University

Elisabeth A. Lloyd is the Arnold and Maxine Tanis Chair of History and Philosophy of Science, Indiana University, Bloomington. She is visiting Stanford for research purposes and would like to meet with anyone interested in discussing her new book, "The Case of the Female Orgasm: Bias in the Science of Evolution".

Why women evolved to have orgasms--when most of their primate relatives don't--is a persistent mystery among evolutionary biologists. In pursuing this mystery in her new book, philosopher of science and evolutionary theorist Elisabeth Lloyd arrives at another: How could anything as inadequate as the evolutionary explanations of the female orgasm have passed muster as science? A meticulous, revealing look at all twenty evolutionary accounts of the trait of human female orgasm, Lloyd's book is at the same time a case study of how certain biases can steer science astray.

Over the past fifteen years, the effect of sexist or male-centered approaches to science has been hotly debated. Drawing especially on data from nonhuman primates and human sexology over eighty years, Lloyd shows precisely what damage such bias does to the study of female orgasm. She also exposes a second, pernicious form of bias that permeates the literature on female orgasm: one toward adaptationism. As she weighs the evidence, Lloyd takes on nearly everyone who has written on the subject: evolutionists, animal behaviorists, and feminists alike.

Upon publication many feminists objected to media portrayals of the book, which focused on the embryological account of female orgasm that Lloyd currently favors­, an account they saw as minimizing the importance of female sexuality. This unfortunate reaction resulted from the media's downplaying of the feminist analysis in the book, as well as the public's misperception of its evolutionary arguments. Prof. Lloyd would like to invite anyone interested in discussing her book­ and its reception­ to an informal, drop-in conversation.

Those interested in learning more about the book and the debates it has aroused are encouraged to check out Prof. Lloyd's website at http://mypage.iu.edu/~ealloyd/. The FAQs give a general idea of what's in the book; of special interest to gender studies people will be Lloyd's response to an especially vicious attack on her feminist analysis, mounted by sociobiologist David Barash, in the “Reviews, Articles and Interviews” section.