@alyx The argument for that would be that all these difference and categories are defined by human language and thus are social constructs.
@matrix
I hate this "human language" argument so much, cause it also pops up in the "are numbers real" discussion.
It doesn't matter if there are humans around, or any other conscious entity that developed reason or language, some things, some properties of our surroundings, are what they are even without someone there to observe them and name them.
4 apples that fell from a tree are still 4 apples, not 3, not 5, but 4, no matter how we choose to represent this number property of the apples.
A tree that falls down, still creates sound waves, even if there is no one there to hear them.
And a penis is still a male sexual organ, completely distinct from a female sexual organ, whether we're there to call it a penis, a dick, a feminine benis, or whatever else.
I hate this "human language" argument so much, cause it also pops up in the "are numbers real" discussion.
It doesn't matter if there are humans around, or any other conscious entity that developed reason or language, some things, some properties of our surroundings, are what they are even without someone there to observe them and name them.
4 apples that fell from a tree are still 4 apples, not 3, not 5, but 4, no matter how we choose to represent this number property of the apples.
A tree that falls down, still creates sound waves, even if there is no one there to hear them.
And a penis is still a male sexual organ, completely distinct from a female sexual organ, whether we're there to call it a penis, a dick, a feminine benis, or whatever else.
@matrix
Yes, we humans like to labels things and properties of our surroundings. I suppose other rational aliens might do that too. But it's not our labeling that make things real. They exist whether we're there to label them or not.
Yes, we humans like to labels things and properties of our surroundings. I suppose other rational aliens might do that too. But it's not our labeling that make things real. They exist whether we're there to label them or not.
The funny part is, even the motte is a stupid argument.
Firstly, there is no social component in how we evaluate sex. Either you have the biological characteristics of a particular sex, or you don't. There's no "social" or subjectivity here.
Secondly, trying to say biological sex isn't clear-cut because of "edge cases" that might confuse your small brain is like saying the number of limbs humans should have isn't clear because an indian child was once born with 4 legs.