Pre-scientific theories of conception mirrored patriarchal social myths
Evidence
Opinions about the respective roles of the two sexes have varied greatly; they were initially devoid of any scientific basis and only reflected social myths. It was thought for a long time, and is still thought in some primitive societies based on matrilineal filiation, that the father has no part in the child’s conception: ancestral larvae were supposed to infiltrate the womb in the form of living germs. With the advent of patriarchy, the male resolutely claimed his posterity; the mother had to be granted a role in procreation even though she merely carried and fattened the living seed: the father alone was the creator. Artistotle imagined that the fetus was produced by the meeting of the sperm and the menses: in this symbiosis, woman just provided passive material, while the male principle is strength, activity, movement, and life. — Simone de Beauvoir, The Second Sex, 81
Categorization
- ADDENDUM: Connects to the immodesty moral-panic theme: both show ‘scientific’ claims rationalizing social hierarchies of gender/class.
- XREF: Parallels the Lex Oppia / sumptuary rationalizations where a gendered social order is projected onto nature. — connects to: Pre-agricultural societies attributed to women a mystical power over fertility and crops — Simone de Beauvoir, The Second Sex, 173; Patriarchal societies deploy myths deliberately to impose their laws — Simone de Beauvoir, The Second Sex, 666; Patriarchal sexual hierarchies persist even in biological theory. — Simone de Beauvoir, The Second Sex, 82 (+3 more)
Broader Connections
- Patriarchal sexual hierarchies persist even in biological theory.
#expands(0.85) — Simone de Beauvoir, The Second Sex, 82 - Pre-agricultural societies attributed to women a mystical power over fertility and crops
#exemplifies(0.75) — Simone de Beauvoir, The Second Sex, 173 - Patriarchal societies deploy myths deliberately to impose their laws
#complicates(0.72) — Simone de Beauvoir, The Second Sex, 666