| Revision as of 06:31, 31 October 2013 editFreeknowledgecreator (talk | contribs)Extended confirmed users179,107 edits The book is an overview of research conducted by many people. Even if it were all based on LeVay's own work, that decades old criticism would still be inappropriate to this article about a very recent book.← Previous edit | Revision as of 06:44, 31 October 2013 edit undoBeauvy (talk | contribs)187 edits Since his book cites his research, then it is definitely relevant. Please check the citations of the book. This content should stay. Besides there are many criticisms of this work that could be added. Similar to those added on the Dialectic page?Next edit → | ||
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| ==Scholarly reception== | ==Scholarly reception== | ||
| ''Gay, Straight and the Reason Why'' was reviewed in '']'' by journalist ], who called it "rational, smart and compassionate" but also observed that it showed that scientific understanding of sexual orientation had advanced less than might be hoped since LeVay's 1991 study. Blum commented, "I was dismayed to discover that many of the most influential studies cited here spring from previous decades...when a chapter on the importance of biology in sexuality contains 32 citations and 23 of them date to the year 2000 or earlier, a book can feel a bit dated."<ref name="Blum" /> Philosopher ] praised LeVay's book in '']'', calling it "superb". Ruse wrote that the work was, "clear and comprehensive, looking at the widest range of research, and very balanced."<ref>].</ref> | ''Gay, Straight and the Reason Why'' was reviewed in '']'' by journalist ], who called it "rational, smart and compassionate" but also observed that it showed that scientific understanding of sexual orientation had advanced less than might be hoped since LeVay's 1991 study. Blum commented, "I was dismayed to discover that many of the most influential studies cited here spring from previous decades...when a chapter on the importance of biology in sexuality contains 32 citations and 23 of them date to the year 2000 or earlier, a book can feel a bit dated."<ref name="Blum" /> Philosopher ] praised LeVay's book in '']'', calling it "superb". | ||
| Ruse wrote that the work was, "clear and comprehensive, looking at the widest range of research, and very balanced."<ref>].</ref> | |||
| ==Scholarly Criticism== | |||
| Consistent with Blum's observations that little work has been done in over a decade, critics of LeVay's earlier research methods have questioned the accuracy and appropriateness of his measurements on which his thesis relies; for example, the structures that he relies on in his research are difficult to see in tissue slices, and that he measured in volume rather than cell count.<ref name="barinaga">Barinaga, Marcia (August 30, 1991). Is homosexuality biological? ''Science''</ref> Nancy Ordover wrote in her 2003 book ''American Eugenics'' that the research leading to Levay's book has been criticized for "small ] and for compiling inadequate sexual histories."<ref name="ordover">Ordover, Nancy (2003). ''American Eugenics: Race, Queer Anatomy, and the Science of Nationalism''. University of Minnesota Press, ISBN 0-8166-3559-5</ref> | |||
| In 2012, ''Gay, Straight, and the Reason Why'' received the Bullough Book Award of the Society for the Scientific Study of Sexuality.<ref>].</ref> | In 2012, ''Gay, Straight, and the Reason Why'' received the Bullough Book Award of the Society for the Scientific Study of Sexuality.<ref>].</ref> | ||
Revision as of 06:44, 31 October 2013
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| Author | Simon LeVay |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Genre | Biology |
| Published | 2011 (Oxford University Press) |
| Publication place | United States |
| Media type | |
| Pages | 432 |
| ISBN | 978-0-19-973767-3 |
Gay, Straight, and the Reason Why: The science of sexual orientation is a 2011 book about the development of sexual orientation by Simon LeVay.
Outline
LeVay details the findings of more than 650 studies that have been conducted since his 1991 study of the hypothalamus. He argues that sexual orientation is an aspect of gender that emerges from the prenatal sexual differentiation of the brain, being determined by a combination of sex hormones, genes, and the womb environment, including factors such as stress during pregnancy. Rather than stopping at birth, the influence of genes and hormones continues over the life span.
Scholarly reception
Gay, Straight and the Reason Why was reviewed in New Scientist by journalist Deborah Blum, who called it "rational, smart and compassionate" but also observed that it showed that scientific understanding of sexual orientation had advanced less than might be hoped since LeVay's 1991 study. Blum commented, "I was dismayed to discover that many of the most influential studies cited here spring from previous decades...when a chapter on the importance of biology in sexuality contains 32 citations and 23 of them date to the year 2000 or earlier, a book can feel a bit dated." Philosopher Michael Ruse praised LeVay's book in The Globe and Mail, calling it "superb". Ruse wrote that the work was, "clear and comprehensive, looking at the widest range of research, and very balanced."
Scholarly Criticism
Consistent with Blum's observations that little work has been done in over a decade, critics of LeVay's earlier research methods have questioned the accuracy and appropriateness of his measurements on which his thesis relies; for example, the structures that he relies on in his research are difficult to see in tissue slices, and that he measured in volume rather than cell count. Nancy Ordover wrote in her 2003 book American Eugenics that the research leading to Levay's book has been criticized for "small sample size and for compiling inadequate sexual histories."
In 2012, Gay, Straight, and the Reason Why received the Bullough Book Award of the Society for the Scientific Study of Sexuality.
References
Footnotes
- ^ Blum 2010
- Staples 2010.
- Ruse 2011.
- Barinaga, Marcia (August 30, 1991). Is homosexuality biological? Science
- Ordover, Nancy (2003). American Eugenics: Race, Queer Anatomy, and the Science of Nationalism. University of Minnesota Press, ISBN 0-8166-3559-5
- LeVay 2013.
Bibliography
- Journals
- Blum, Deborah (30 October 2010). "Gay: born or made?". New Scientist. 208 (2784): 53. Bibcode:2010NewSc.208Q..53B. doi:10.1016/S0262-4079(10)62703-0.
- Online articles
- LeVay, Simon. "Simon LeVay's website". Retrieved 2013-10-17.
- Ruse, Michael. "What Freud didn't know about being gay". Retrieved 2013-10-17.
- Staples, A. Latham. ""Gay Brain" scientist returns to San Diego for Oct. 12-13 book signings". Retrieved 2013-10-13.