Women’s Brains – Essay Analysis

1. Stephen Jay Gould’s purpose in this essay is to explain the research done by numerous scientists and to explain their conclusions. He disproves Broca’s research by providing evidence of his faulty experiment in which he used men and women of different ages, heights, weights, and races. These differences affected the outcomes of his research and caused them not to be credible. Gould used other scientists’ findings to correctly compare the brain sizes of men and women. He refutes the idea of women being inferior to men because of their brain size.
2. Gould uses logos to refute these false beliefs. He utilizes data from other scientists and clearly explains his precise reasoning. Gould says, “I have reexamined Broca’s data, the basis for all this derivative pronouncement, and I find his numbers sound but his interpretation ill-founded”. This clearly shows how he took Broca’s data and conclusions into consideration while correctly examining brain sizes. He learns from Broca’s mistakes and uses logic to accurately make his own data set.
3. I agree with Gould’s point in this essay. I believe that his conclusions are accurate and precise because of his explanation of finding his data. I believe that men and women are equally intelligent and are both capable of accomplishing amazing things. Take Marie Curie and Albert Einstein as examples.  They are both incredibly intelligent scientists who have made advances in the scientific world. Both of them were equally intelligent, despite their strengths and weaknesses in different subjects or topics.