Author: Prakash Das
Date: 01:56:16 12/11/98
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On December 10, 1998 at 18:41:18, Fernando Villegas wrote: >Hi: >In fact i remember I have seen, two or three times, post made by women, very >short all of them ,juts demanding some information. Then they vannished. >This is an old discussion and the first time we did it here i was flamed because >I dared to say that, according to some studies, women mind is -in average- not >fitted to this kind of intelectual endeavour, I mean, concentrated, logical, >obsesive kind of intelection oriented towards abstract problems. I do not >evaluate that as bad or good; you can define intelligence as you wish and so >declare women or men more intelligent than the other side. But it is a matter of >fact that not only in chess computers but in almost any intelectual enterprise >where abstract reasonning and long and painful research and thinking is needed, >women almost disappear from the scenary. Just take a look at math and physics >departments, ingeniering, etc in any unversity of the world, not to say the list >of the really eminent scientifics and philosophers. Yes, this is an old >argument, but gravitation law is old also and still valid as far as I know. On >the contrary, where intelectual endeavour is oriented more to imagination and >fantasy, as writting, differences is not existent or minimal. >Of course there is room to exceptions and of course we can evaluate this fact in >the most politicaly correct way. You always can say that women are smarter >precisely because they does not do this or that. In fact, today there are "kind >of intelligences" for all tastes. Pick what you like. >Fernando Fernando, I disagree with you. (No I am not a woman). It is true that traditionally/historically, science, engineering, mathematics, logic and such areas have attracted men. However, this has more to do with the way society thought about women and what they should pursue, and things like this take a long time to change. When women are mentored about science/engg/mathematics, they tend to do equally well. Yes, the male and female brain is different to some extent, but this doesn't mean it rules women out. They may approach the subject differently, be motivated by different parts of the "beauty" contained in the subject. But the result/output may not be much different. The field of computer programming has been dominated by men too. This again I think is the way computers and programming were taught to children. That old "geek" image, while untrue, is still difficult at times to wipe out. Chess programming involves algorithms and logic (and other things), and as far as I see it, there is absolutely no reason why a woman/women cannot program a very good one. It isn't a question of "intelligence" at all, as you write, but rather "interest". I believe that if computer chess programming becomes a lucrative and wide market, then it is inevitable women too will join in. The market will take care of that. I am not sure if this will happen soon, but if and when it happens, a millenium from now, we will not be saying that women were not fitted to this kind of intellectual endeavor. We are just a small ways up the circle of life.
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