Victoria Pendleton

there are certain biological characteristics that we can't deny are there - but we've evolved beyond being defined by these characteristics, therefore I don't think it's accurate anymore to suggest I might be a certain way because I have a cock and balls - there are too many other variables.

no, we simply haven't evolved beyond them. just because we've evolved intelligence enough to form societies and create art and write essays on social conditioning doesn't mean that the underlying biological realities have disappeared!

social factors do influence our behaviour in big ways, but social factors are built on millions of years of biological processes that have got us to the (very recent) point where 'civilised' human society was able to appear at all. go and read some sociobiology and evolutionary psychology books - Cosmides and Toobey aren't bad.

I've forgotten how this links into the Victoria Pendleton thing now... It's true though, that 'women' are as much to blame here as 'men', but it's only certain kinds of men and certain kinds of women - hence my belief that this isn't a biological issue but a social one.

why do we need to blame anyone? besides, biological causes could show the same variance as social ones, anyway, we don't all share the same genes.

this is just hand-wringing liberal arts claptrap (I know it when I see it, i have a philosophy degree). but you're right, it has nothing to do with whether Victoria Pendleton should've posed for FHM.