Comments on: Out, out, damned blind spot! http://www.shessuchageek.com/2007/03/02/out-out-damned-blind-spot/ Thu, 20 Nov 2008 22:52:26 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.0.5 by: Carpenter http://www.shessuchageek.com/2007/03/02/out-out-damned-blind-spot/#comment-3696 Fri, 09 Mar 2007 09:49:57 +0000 http://www.shessuchageek.com/2007/03/02/out-out-damned-blind-spot/#comment-3696 i got in a discussion with some profs(I am a postdoc) about a double blind review process for journals. They insisted it would be too much work. I said it is more likely that people will judge papers with female author names and traditionally black author names more harshly. They insisted this wasnt true in physics, that paper are sent to people known to be impartial, they think this is defintiely true in other fields but not so in physics, you know meritocracy and all that jazz. I wish someone would do the equiv. of the compitence rating study in physics to proove it once and for all. Also I find when gettiong in debates with ppl like the guy quoted i this post I tend to pull the emotions getting in the way of scientific thinking FIRST. It reeeeeeeeally ends the stupidity quick "You know the background of sexism is a HUGE systematic error in comparing populations of male and female scientists. We learn about systematic error on the first day of undergrad physics lab, if you really believe in the scientific method, you must account for this. You cant just let 2000 year old Aristotlian BS about complimemtary sex roles get in the way of real science. " i got in a discussion with some profs(I am a postdoc) about a double blind review process for journals. They insisted it would be too much work. I said it is more likely that people will judge papers with female author names and traditionally black author names more harshly. They insisted this wasnt true in physics, that paper are sent to people known to be impartial, they think this is defintiely true in other fields but not so in physics, you know meritocracy and all that jazz. I wish someone would do the equiv. of the compitence rating study in physics to proove it once and for all.

Also I find when gettiong in debates with ppl like the guy quoted i this post I tend to pull the emotions getting in the way of scientific thinking FIRST. It reeeeeeeeally ends the stupidity quick “You know the background of sexism is a HUGE systematic error in comparing populations of male and female scientists. We learn about systematic error on the first day of undergrad physics lab, if you really believe in the scientific method, you must account for this. You cant just let 2000 year old Aristotlian BS about complimemtary sex roles get in the way of real science. “

]]> by: Kristin A. http://www.shessuchageek.com/2007/03/02/out-out-damned-blind-spot/#comment-3639 Thu, 08 Mar 2007 15:07:05 +0000 http://www.shessuchageek.com/2007/03/02/out-out-damned-blind-spot/#comment-3639 Jessica, It's not too late for you to get out and do something other than physics! Unless your parents are professors and you know how to play the tenure game---or unless you're completely head and shoulders above the rest of the field at whatever you do---it's going to be a tough slog that will require you to focus on your work and block a lot of the rest out. Or, decide to stay in physics, but FIND A MENTOR who is NOT your advisor! There are so many pitfalls out there, and you're going to need someone to help sort out whether you're getting short shrift from your advisor. Good luck! Jessica,

It’s not too late for you to get out and do something other than physics! Unless your parents are professors and you know how to play the tenure game—or unless you’re completely head and shoulders above the rest of the field at whatever you do—it’s going to be a tough slog that will require you to focus on your work and block a lot of the rest out. Or, decide to stay in physics, but FIND A MENTOR who is NOT your advisor! There are so many pitfalls out there, and you’re going to need someone to help sort out whether you’re getting short shrift from your advisor. Good luck!

]]> by: Jessica http://www.shessuchageek.com/2007/03/02/out-out-damned-blind-spot/#comment-3585 Thu, 08 Mar 2007 03:34:25 +0000 http://www.shessuchageek.com/2007/03/02/out-out-damned-blind-spot/#comment-3585 You've hit the nail on the head. I'm just an undergraduate in physics, but over the past months, I've become much more aware of the culture of science and that fact that sexism is alive and well, and well-entrenched in the physics community. I found myself nodding as I read your entire post; you clearly and succinctly explained all of the vague ideas that I haven't been able to express! You’ve hit the nail on the head.
I’m just an undergraduate in physics, but over the past months, I’ve become much more aware of the culture of science and that fact that sexism is alive and well, and well-entrenched in the physics community.
I found myself nodding as I read your entire post; you clearly and succinctly explained all of the vague ideas that I haven’t been able to express!

]]> by: cyperus_papyrus http://www.shessuchageek.com/2007/03/02/out-out-damned-blind-spot/#comment-3001 Sun, 04 Mar 2007 00:12:04 +0000 http://www.shessuchageek.com/2007/03/02/out-out-damned-blind-spot/#comment-3001 <i>The pity is that these people, who are so astute in other ways, can’t even see their blind spot about this. </i> The more I think about this, the more it seems to me that humans are not by nature astute questioning people, we have to work really hard at it. The Structure of Scientific Revolutions, by Kuhn, talks about the idea of paradigm shift, that groups resist a paradigm shift. Physicists seem just as likely as anyone else to resist any paradigm shift, arguing that if it ain't broke don't fix it. But that's backward looking. If we change the way we look at things, like Einstein and others did, we may take a step forward into a place we couldn't have imagined before. Though that may be too scary for some people to face. Thanks for your comments over at my blog, and pointing me over here. Very interesting site, I'll be visiting again! The pity is that these people, who are so astute in other ways, can’t even see their blind spot about this.

The more I think about this, the more it seems to me that humans are not by nature astute questioning people, we have to work really hard at it. The Structure of Scientific Revolutions, by Kuhn, talks about the idea of paradigm shift, that groups resist a paradigm shift. Physicists seem just as likely as anyone else to resist any paradigm shift, arguing that if it ain’t broke don’t fix it. But that’s backward looking. If we change the way we look at things, like Einstein and others did, we may take a step forward into a place we couldn’t have imagined before. Though that may be too scary for some people to face.

Thanks for your comments over at my blog, and pointing me over here. Very interesting site, I’ll be visiting again!

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