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Are men doomed?
Fri Jul 10 05:58PM
That provocative if daft question popped up this week after scientists in Britain said they had created human sperm in the lab. If there's no need for sperm, goes the thought, why do we need men? Imagine a world without all the testosterone.
Would it be more restful and peaceful, less bloodied by war? Would it be kinder, more consensual?
What about science and the arts? Take away men, and you would have no more Darwins, Michelangelos, Shakespeares, Mozarts. Could women equal their genius?
The male-vs-female debate is of a course time-honoured debate, though I have often found it rather sterile, with predictable stereotypes that are rounded up and fired, probably to ease some ancient resentment against the opposite sex.
In this case, though, the intriguing scientific question also raises an intriguing social one. What, in fact, is the point of men? An anthropologist might say that, in our palaeolithic past, men were assigned the role of hunter-gatherer because of their greater strength and speed.
Women, though, were required to be home-makers because of their physiology, as the bearer and nurturer of offspring. These genetic basics were imperatives for survival in a hostile, uncertain world. They became codified socially, reinforced by laws and religious edicts about gender behaviour and, more subtly, through child-raising.
The traditional gender codes went unchallenged so long as human society still survived by muscle strength. But cracks started to appear when machines started to do the jobs that, before, only men could do.
When it became obvious that, thanks to machines, women could do the same job as men -- as for instance when they became munitions workers in Europe in World War I -- the old order was confronted by a huge challenge. To my mind, the process snowballed into a revolution half a century ago, with the advent of the Pill.
Control over their own fertility unleased enormous empowerment for women, enabling them to choose when to have a family. They could at last look beyond a role as homemaker and envision a career. Eventually, legal and social changes helped to fling open doors to them in any number of professions.
Today, as we move into the post-industrial economy, the future for women looks brighter than ever. An economy that wants to be based on knowledge has to be gender-equal in order to survive, for it cannot afford not to use half of its intellectual assets.
Countries that do not allow women a good education that is equal to men's and let them have the means to use it are doomed to fall behind.
The advancement of women, though, raises the question: What about men?
Answering it has never been easy, especially for men and societies that were quite comfortable with the old hierarchy, the old rules and roles, in sexual relationships, the home and the workplace. In the most conservative societies, change seems to be interpreted as a mortal threat that can only be combatted by denial and iron-fisted enforcement of tradition. Yet even in western countries that were the first to experience change, adaptation has not been easy.
A common theme of books, films and songs these days is men who are unanchored, adrift in their relationships and uncertain about what they do, reflecting an existential unease.
In this blog, reporters and editors for global news wire AFP blog about the news they report and the challenges they face covering events from Baghdad to Beijing, the White House to Darfur. Richard Inham is AFP Health & Science editor.
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chris_bean - Slightly concerned by your 'Appliance of Science' - You use the right words and terminology but your conclusions are slightly 'off piste' !
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If you have thought and researched these opinions yourself, that's fine! - each to their own!!
If you have been funded by some Company to provide this evidence - that wouldn't surprise me either!!
If you have been taught this, in mainstream education - I am scared out of my wits!!!!
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We are all doomed . DOOMED !
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Well it is not able to penetrate the egg so whatever!
anyway women rule!
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The idea of a single sex is not particular good for evolution, asexual reproduction tends to be limited to lower life forms. Sexual reproduction is the gold standard for getting variation in the gene pool. Just having XX rather than XY might have some nasty consequences for disease etc. So guess any artificial sperm will be from males and I guess this is realy about male fertility treatment. But good story and no phone hacking required
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who would do my garden and clear up my doggy pooh???
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josy_sim - Many twentieth century entrepreneurs can't read or write very well either, Beethoven was partially deaf - So much for your Shakespearian 'WIMMEN' theory ! 'Ergo the female intellect argument is defunct' !
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men who think that women can't handle themselves obviously never studied history. before the patriarchal society took over the social structure was based around MATRIARCHAL concept. women, like some queen bees, were the heads of the family. people worshiped female godesses of fertility, etc...
throughout history women have proved themselves capable of doing all the jobs of a man. who do you think would cut the crops when all mean were off to fight petty wars? women of course. cutting, plucking, grinding, baking... women could just as well handle the hunt too for there is nothing that prevents a woman learning how to wield a bow/spear/etc... and while men certainly have more brute srength in comparison, woman's body is more balanced which makes it easier for a woman to lift things without falling over (the centre of gravity is set lower in a woman, regardless of her hight).
yes, the only real reason that men do exist is to protect women during the vurnerable time of pregnancy and to put in genetic diversity.
personally, i envision the world that will one day only have one sex, however, neither men nor women but rather something inbetween. something new. something that combines both worlds.
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If women just wanted men for their sperm we wouldn't be using contraceptives and avoiding pregnancy so we can enjoy your wonderful personalities (cough cough) and earth @#$%tering and just lovely cosy sex. Men are not dead or redundant. Even though the nasty ones put you off.
The sacre mongering press miss the point. By finding and trying to reconstruct sperm then greater understanding will be made of how it is made and how and why it goes wrong. Every other area of human biology and existence is open to investigation and understanding except sex and the creation of life. Yet nothing is more important to understand to eleminate problems in pregnancy conception and well being of babies. Witch burning scare mongering press don't help or inform. Poked around women's bits for long enough. Now to poke around mens. Cough while I hold.
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With the attitude of the majority of British women, men probably are doomed in the UK. I am British and married a Latin american woman, and it was the best decision I ever made - British women are far too selfish. However it does beg the question how long will it be before the womb is recrated artificially, and then there will be no 'need' for women either. It is sad that the majority of people are still brainwashed into thinking that all sex is for is for reproduction, when really, this is just one of the 'side effects' as far as I am concerned.
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I'd just like to say, that i think the whole thing is daft and far too much is being made out of it, i personally wouldnt want a world without men, as i do so like their company.... although i can manage quite well without one and am doing so at present.. But i dont like all the stereo typing of us women. As a matter of fact i can reverse around corners, open jars, get spiders out of a bath and anywhere else, I like mice i dont like chick flicks ok guys
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With the attitude of the majority of British women, men probably are doomed in the UK. I am British and married a Latin american woman, and it was the best decision I ever made - British women are far too selfish. However it does beg the question how long will it be before the womb is recrated artificially, and then there will be no 'need' for women either. I couldn't care less about this concept. There will thankfully always be women who actually enjoy sex and know how to have fun. It is sad that the majority of people are still brainwashed into thinking that all sex is for is for reproduction - hence this whole concept that men are 'doomed' just because sperm has been artificially reproduced. As far as I am concerned, pregnancy is just a rather inconvenient 'side effect' to hetrosexual sex, that you have to take measures to avoid.
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