Helen Joyce and Eric Kaufmann Play Spectrum Street Epistemology
Gender Identity, Womanhood, & More
Peter Boghossian engages author Dr. Helen Joyce and professor Dr. Eric Kaufmann in Spectrum Street Epistemology. The discussion deals with gender ideology. The claims explore questions such as, "Anyone who conforms to the social construct of woman is a woman" and "If a child says they're trans at school a parent should be notified."
The conversation broadened to whether gender ideology could be thought of as transcendental or quasi-religious, and the pair discussed some of the philosophical and religious underpinnings of this movement. At one point, Helen is asked to take the position of a pro-gender-affirming person, and she takes the opportunity to explain the various justifications that individuals use to support that position. Helen and Eric strongly disagree on whether it is possible to be confused about one's gender identity, and they attempt to guess the other's reasoning behind their position.
Dr. Helen Joyce is a journalist, Director of Advocacy for Sex Matters, and author of "Trans: When Ideology Meets Reality." Her writing has appeared in The Daily Mail, The Evening Standard, The Times, And Critic Magazine.
Helen's previous interview on Peter's channel:
Follow Helen on X.
Dr. Eric Kaufmann is a Professor of Politics at the University of Buckingham. Originally from Vancouver, BC, Canada, he was born in Hong Kong and spent most of the last few decades in the UK. He is principally interested in cultural politics: ethnicity, national identity, left-wing ideology, and religion, and has written extensively on these subjects.
Eric's interview on Peter's channel:
Follow Eric on X.
You always have the best guests, Peter. Discovered Helen through your program, she's fantastic.
Humans are animals who reproduce sexually i.e. two of them are required to reproduce, one with organs determined by XX chromosomes (female), the other with organs determined by XY chromosomes. Choosing one's chromosomes is not an option, anymore than choosing whether or not to be human. Sexuality is about one´s personal behaviour not about male or female organs.
A female cannot choose to have a penis and testicles and produce sperm on demand. A male cannot choose to have a vagina and uterus and produce eggs every month. And other gubbins !