Elisabeth Lloyd
Encyclopedia
Elisabeth Anne Lloyd is a philosopher of biology. She currently holds the Arnold and Maxine Tanis Chair of History and Philosophy of Science
and is also Professor of Biology, Adjunct Professor of Philosophy at Indiana University
, Affiliated Faculty Scholar at the Kinsey Institute for Research in Sex, Gender and Reproduction
and Adjunct Faculty at the Center for the Integrative Study of Animal Behavior.
in the Department of Genetics at Harvard University
in 1983, Lloyd studied under Bas van Fraassen at Princeton University
for a PhD in Philosophy 1980-84.
She worked as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Philosophy at University of California, San Diego
, 1985–88; Assistant Professor, Department of Philosophy, 1988–90, Associate Professor, 1990–97, Professor, 1997–99, University of California, Berkeley
; Affiliated Faculty, History and Philosophy of Science Programme, University of California, Davis
, 1990-1998.
Her recent (2005) book, "The Case of the Female Orgasm," was widely discussed in the scholarly and popular press, including Isis
, Nature
and The New York Times
. The book criticizes what it portrays as anti-scientific biases infecting the many proposed adaptive explanations of female orgasm. Lloyd goes on to argue that the available evidence, such as from sexology studies, is far more supportive of a neutral "byproduct" explanation put forward by Donald Symons
, under which female orgasm is the result of orgasm developing as a species trait due to its critical role in males for procreation (akin to explanations for why nipples, which are required for nursing in females, are also present in males). The book received so much attention it was lampooned on an episode of Saturday Night Live
because its title sounds like a racy version of a Hardy Boys novel.
Lloyd had been working on this subject for two years, when a discussion with Stephen Jay Gould in 1986 led to her providing the basis for his 1987 essay in Natural History (magazine)
entitled 'Freudian Slip', which was reprinted in 1992 as 'Male Nipples and Clitoral Ripples'
History and philosophy of science
The history and philosophy of science is an academic discipline that encompasses the philosophy of science and the history of science. Although many scholars in the field are trained primarily as either historians or as philosophers, there are degree-granting departments of HPS at several...
and is also Professor of Biology, Adjunct Professor of Philosophy at Indiana University
Indiana University
Indiana University is a multi-campus public university system in the state of Indiana, United States. Indiana University has a combined student body of more than 100,000 students, including approximately 42,000 students enrolled at the Indiana University Bloomington campus and approximately 37,000...
, Affiliated Faculty Scholar at the Kinsey Institute for Research in Sex, Gender and Reproduction
Kinsey Institute for Research in Sex, Gender and Reproduction
The Kinsey Institute for Research in Sex, Gender, and Reproduction is a nonprofit research institute at Indiana University. It was established in Bloomington, Indiana in 1947...
and Adjunct Faculty at the Center for the Integrative Study of Animal Behavior.
Career
Lloyd earned her BA in Science and Political Theory from University of Colorado, Boulder in 1980, summa cum laude. After some graduate study under the supervision of Stephen Jay GouldStephen Jay Gould
Stephen Jay Gould was an American paleontologist, evolutionary biologist, and historian of science. He was also one of the most influential and widely read writers of popular science of his generation....
in the Department of Genetics at Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
in 1983, Lloyd studied under Bas van Fraassen at Princeton University
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
for a PhD in Philosophy 1980-84.
She worked as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Philosophy at University of California, San Diego
University of California, San Diego
The University of California, San Diego, commonly known as UCSD or UC San Diego, is a public research university located in the La Jolla neighborhood of San Diego, California, United States...
, 1985–88; Assistant Professor, Department of Philosophy, 1988–90, Associate Professor, 1990–97, Professor, 1997–99, University of California, Berkeley
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...
; Affiliated Faculty, History and Philosophy of Science Programme, University of California, Davis
University of California, Davis
The University of California, Davis is a public teaching and research university established in 1905 and located in Davis, California, USA. Spanning over , the campus is the largest within the University of California system and third largest by enrollment...
, 1990-1998.
Her recent (2005) book, "The Case of the Female Orgasm," was widely discussed in the scholarly and popular press, including Isis
Isis (journal)
Isis is an academic journal published by University of Chicago Press. It focuses on the history of science, history of medicine, and the history of technology, as well as their cultural influences, featuring both original research articles as well as extensive book reviews and review essays.It was...
, Nature
Nature
Nature, in the broadest sense, is equivalent to the natural world, physical world, or material world. "Nature" refers to the phenomena of the physical world, and also to life in general...
and The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
. The book criticizes what it portrays as anti-scientific biases infecting the many proposed adaptive explanations of female orgasm. Lloyd goes on to argue that the available evidence, such as from sexology studies, is far more supportive of a neutral "byproduct" explanation put forward by Donald Symons
Donald Symons
Donald Symons is an American anthropologist who is best known as one of the founders of evolutionary psychology, and for pioneering the study of human sexuality from an evolutionary perspective...
, under which female orgasm is the result of orgasm developing as a species trait due to its critical role in males for procreation (akin to explanations for why nipples, which are required for nursing in females, are also present in males). The book received so much attention it was lampooned on an episode of Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live is a live American late-night television sketch comedy and variety show developed by Lorne Michaels and Dick Ebersol. The show premiered on NBC on October 11, 1975, under the original title of NBC's Saturday Night.The show's sketches often parody contemporary American culture...
because its title sounds like a racy version of a Hardy Boys novel.
Lloyd had been working on this subject for two years, when a discussion with Stephen Jay Gould in 1986 led to her providing the basis for his 1987 essay in Natural History (magazine)
Natural History (magazine)
Natural History is an American natural history magazine. The stated mission of the magazine is to promote public understanding and appreciation of nature and science.- History :...
entitled 'Freudian Slip', which was reprinted in 1992 as 'Male Nipples and Clitoral Ripples'
See also
- American philosophyAmerican philosophyAmerican philosophy is the philosophical activity or output of Americans, both within the United States and abroad. The Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy notes that while American philosophy lacks a "core of defining features, American Philosophy can nevertheless be seen as both reflecting and...
- Evolutionary psychologyEvolutionary psychologyEvolutionary psychology is an approach in the social and natural sciences that examines psychological traits such as memory, perception, and language from a modern evolutionary perspective. It seeks to identify which human psychological traits are evolved adaptations, that is, the functional...
- Sexual selection in human evolutionSexual selection in human evolutionCharles Darwin described sexual selection as depending "on the advantage which certain individuals have over others of the same sex and species solely in respect of reproduction". In animals, he saw the competition for advantage as occurring between males - the most successful of which were chosen...
- List of American philosophers