The Importance of Feminist Critique even in Cell Biology

While I thought I had a pretty sound consciousness of the distortions of history that adversely affect succeeding generations, I was unaware of the ridiculous interpretations derived from biology. From the reading, I was enlightened on how surprisingly even the testable science of biology is deeply embedded in patriarchy. The reading explains, beginning from the Aristotelian philosophy, the notion of female passivity versus the active male both deriving from the "observation" of the link between egg and sperm in fertilization. Comparable to the idea of the ideal male hunter, the sperm's rigor to implement the egg signifies the male aggressive and heroic nature as if the female is in search of being rescued. The article made reference to the female inherent seduction that is said to be the downfall of the male as she, like her ovum, is supposedly a magnetic force that is irresistible to the man until his urge forces him to "attack." Interestingly enough, this linkage between sperm and egg was parallel to this false sense of justified acts of rape while the female, in this case egg, was referenced to be the whore attracting the an army of soldiers in desperation to be relieved from a dormant lifestyle. I find this interpretation to be quite disturbing simply because our society still, even after advancement in research capabilities, conducts itself under this idea and it is apparent in far too many dismissed rape and assault charges. Whats frustrating is after theories such as these are publicized many are unmoved to conclude the truth allowing myths to bombard their perceptions and lifestyles. Fortunately, investigators such as Schatten have put their efforts in looking at other possibilities other than what is accepted by the vast majority in "his"story as the struggle for dominance in this male vs. female war prevails. While these attempts are being made to better understand the actual truth in learning about the the biology that we once believed to be true without question, we must understand as pointed out in the article that the science of biology is heavily shaped by history, social conditions/norms, and traditional views. Therefore, I am appreciative of literature such as this to critique and theorize on subjects concentrated in gender bias that would obviously distort what is true.