All posts tagged: dichotomy

New study links the Madonna-whore dichotomy to devaluing women’s pleasure

New study links the Madonna-whore dichotomy to devaluing women’s pleasure

Have you ever wondered why there’s a gap between men’s and women’s sexual pleasure? A recent study published in Sex Roles investigates the societal beliefs and relationship contexts that contribute to this disparity. The researchers found that the endorsement of the Madonna-whore dichotomy plays an important role in the devaluation of women’s sexual pleasure. The concept of the Madonna-whore dichotomy, a term coined by Sigmund Freud, refers to the polarized way in which women are often viewed: either as pure and virtuous “Madonnas” or as sexually promiscuous “whores.” This binary perception has long been criticized for its detrimental effects on women’s sexual autonomy and satisfaction. Motivated by a desire to understand the modern implications of this dichotomy, researchers embarked on a study to examine how such entrenched beliefs influence the devaluation of women’s sexual pleasure and how relationship context—casual versus committed relationships—plays a role in this dynamic. “We came across how men discussed treating women they meet on dating apps differently, focusing solely on their sexual pleasure in a way they wouldn’t in a relationship,” …

Divisions of Islamophobia

Divisions of Islamophobia

A false dichotomy is a basic type of informal logical fallacy, consisting in framing an issue as if there were only two choices available, while in fact a range of nuanced positions may be on offer upon more careful reflection. There are nonetheless plenty of instances were they do identify truly bad reasoning.Another one is arguably represented by the never ending “debate” about Islamophobia. It is easy to find stark examples of people defending what appear to be two irreconcilable positions about how to view Islam in a post-9/11 world. For the sake of discussion, I will bypass pundits and other pseudo-intellectuals, and use instead two comedians as representative of the contrasting positions: Broadly speaking, I don’t think religions in general are particularly good ideas. In my mind they originate from a combination of false presuppositions (that there are higher beings of a supernatural kind) and a power grab by individuals (i.e., religious leaders) who sometimes unconsciously (and sometimes not) end up exploiting the fears and hopes of the people that they are supposed to …

The false dichotomy feminism

The false dichotomy feminism

The occasion is provided by recent controversies concerning the delicate concepts of gender and race, where once again — as in both the cases of trigger warnings and of Islamophobia — I see well intentioned progressives needlessly (in my mind) and harshly attacking fellow progressives, or at the least, people who ought to be their natural political allies. (As in the other two cases, I will ignore contributions from the right and from libertarians, on the ground that I find them both less constructive and less surprising than those from the sources I will be discussing here.) Let me start with gender. I recently read with fascination an two year old New York Times op-ed piece by feminist Elinor Burkett entitled “What makes a woman?” explaining why a number of feminists have issues with certain aspects of the transgender movement, and in particular why Burkett had mixed feelings about the very public coming out of Caitlyn Jenner. First, Jenner: Burkett says that of course she supports a member of an often vilified gender minority when …