The Game

A traditional dilemma about gender/sex concerns ‘nature/nurture.’ The way this is often characterized is as follows: Is gendered behavior determined by biological make-up? Or is it determined by environment? By the latter people often mean: Is gendered behavior determined by early childhood upbringing? In other words, is gender ideology inculcated at an early age (men don’t cry, women are emotional)?

Rather than focusing on early childhood upbringing, I want to focus on the here-and-now. I want to consider the way in which our behavior is constantly controlled by the social context. For example, remember the day I performed the little play: I played the accordion in class. Normally professors don’t do this. It is “inappropriate”. It is an unspoken rule that professors should not play musical instruments in class for no particular reason. This rule is part of “The Game” which governs our life everyday.

Consider gender. It is entirely possible for a man to wear a dress to school. However, if he does so, there will be consequences. He will have to answer questions, face ridicule, etc. He will have violated a rule of The Game.

By considering these examples (and exploring some of your own) you can see that much of our life is structured by unspoken rules that we take for granted. We don’t even think about them. In this class, I want to think about them.

In teaching this class, I find that students get into a ‘battle of the sexes’. Suddenly it becomes boys vs. the girls. But I am not interested in who did what to whom (at least not in the first instance). I am interested in The Game. I am not interested in playing the Game (although it’s hard to avoid). I am interested in stepping back and thinking philosophically about the rules of The Game. I am interested in the unspoken rules which govern the interaction between men and women.