Richard Dawkin's new book warns against denial of scientific truth by ‘astonishingly vicious’ trans activists and other threats on science

[IwantToRetire]

In The War on Science, Dawkins joins several scientists and philosophers contending that academic freedom and truth in universities was being stifled by diversity, equity and inclusion policies that promoted falsehoods under the banner of social justice.

“I draw the line at the belligerent slogan ‘trans women are women’ because it is scientifically false,” he said. “When taken literally, it can infringe the rights of other people, especially women.

“It logically entails the right to enter women’s sporting events, women’s changing rooms, women’s prisons and so on.

“So powerful has this postmodern counter-factualism become, that newspapers refer to ‘her penis’ as a matter of unremarked routine.”

Full article at https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2025/09/25/richard-dawkins-trans-women-slogan-scientifically-false/ and at https://archive.is/zAFxS

Thanks for acknowledging the fabulous work done by women in forcing various authorities to formally recognise that the category of "women" is based on biological reality not feelings, behaviour, social expectations or any other unquantifiable guff.

"Women's liberation", she wrote in The Whole Woman (1999), "did not see the female's potential in terms of the male's actual." She argues instead that liberation is about asserting difference and "insisting on it as a condition of self-definition and self-determination". It is a struggle for the freedom of women to "define their own values, order their own priorities and decide their own fate".[b]

All this just so men can get their dicks out in women's single sex spaces.

Yes, I agree these are examples of progress. Progress in upholding women's rights (apart from housing, not sure what you mean there).

These are not "compromises" as Bernard asked you to define. These are examples of progress for women and girls.

Like fuck has Howse ever read a Germaine Greer book from cover to cover.

Personality traits are a biologically driven phenomena that manifest in behaviours that are sexed in terms of averages. IE men tend to be more violent than women, women tend to be more agreeable & neurotic than men These averages can be measured in terms of offending rates, job choices, hobbies, consumerist & life choices etc.

Regardless of how you group personality traits, there is no need for somebody defining as a trans to show that they have any particular personality trait, and many people who define themselves as trans don't define as masculine or feminine or describe themselves as gender fluid, so it's not clear how any of that is relevant.

I’m still trying to understand how we decide who gets to take a dump in the ladies lavs. It’s sounding like some sort of test to measure neuroticism and agreeableness is now in order

😂

Germaine 'I don't care' Greer. She knows that men who claim to be women shouldn't be taken seriously.

Wikipedia decides it seems.

Yep that was my reply. Can you elaborate on other issues that I missed? I re read it & am not sure.

Christ on a pogo stick. Men can't be women, everyone knows it. Are only certain people allowed to say it? What on earth is the point in campaigning, debating, fighting back despite the personal cost if anyone who actually turns round and sees sense is then dismissed as a hypocrite?

Do we want people to speak out or don't we? This is beyond exhausting.

It’s just another flavour of the creepy man who won’t fucking stop trying to wheedle and bargain away your ‘no’ (and if no one is looking will probably try to use force to override your ‘no’ too), because the idea that women are entitled to boundaries simply does not compute for him. It just so happens that this man is wearing a blouse and eyeliner

we have to rely on the law to protect us from such people

Germaine Greer certainly did not mean men could identify as women, but if you think she is contradicting herself you will have to take that up with her.

What you mean there's another reproductive system? ‐ do enlighten us

Yup, Greer doesn't believe trans women are the same as CIS women in terms of "life experience" but not all women's life experiences are the same & some trans women experiences are similar to CIS women so it's not exactly one of her most rigorous analyses. She was getting on at that stage & admitted to a nursing home for dementia not long after.

Surely you have absolute proof of this, because they are serious allegations?

So it’s some sort of analysis of life experience that decides if you belong in the ladies lavs now?

Dawkins' focus here, as with his criticisms of other religions, is on the undesireability of allowing unfalsifiable metaphysical propositions to override empiricism. His attention was snagged when it became apparent that transgenderism was being treated, not as a harmless legal fiction, but literally true.

I doubt that he was previously any more complaisant about the harms to women than the rest of society, which (apart from Germaine Greer - what a woman!) did not see this coming. (If it had, the female employees in Croft v Royal Mail would have been parties to the litigation, not just a passing mention in the judgment.)

& some trans women experiences are similar to CIS women so it's not exactly one of her most rigorous analyses.

Or in other words, some men have life experiences that are similar to some women and vice versa.

As 'cis' and 'trans' are completely subjective describers that can be used by anyone to mean what every they want, they don't mean much.

Transwomen are men.

I don't care what you think.

Housing as in prisons, hospitals, hostels.

Compromises as in some trans women can compete in sports if they can prove they don't have a male advantage, the provision of separate unisex loos etc, private rooms in hospitals, & housing that won't put trans at risk in prisons.

Perhaps there will be personality quizzes?

Your comprehension abilities are truly lacking, she is unequivocal in that clip and there is absolutely no verifiable evidence that she has dementia. FYI, Wikipedia is not, I repeat not, a verifiable source. Try harder.