''Testosterone Rex: Myths of Sex, Science, and Society'' is the third book written by

Cordelia Fine Cordelia Fine (born 1975) is a Canadian-born British philosopher of science, psychologist, writer, and science communicator, who lives in Australia. she is a full professor in the History and Philosophy of Science programme at the University o ...

, published in January 2017 by W.W. Norton & Company. Fine discusses the heavy emphasis our current society has put on

biological sex Biology is the scientific study of life and living organisms. It is a broad natural science that encompasses a wide range of fields and unifying principles that explain the structure, function, growth, origin, evolution, and distribution of ...

and why this is a motivation for this book. Fine goes on to define what 'Testosterone Rex' is and why the idea should be extinct.

Content

''Testosterone Rex'' is composed of three parts made up of eight chapters. Each chapter begins with an anecdote related to Fine's life and to the topic of

sex Sex is the biological trait that determines whether a sexually reproducing organism produces male or female gametes. During sexual reproduction, a male and a female gamete fuse to form a zygote, which develops into an offspring that inheri ...

and

gender Gender is the range of social, psychological, cultural, and behavioral aspects of being a man (or boy), woman (or girl), or third gender. Although gender often corresponds to sex, a transgender person may identify with a gender other tha ...

. Part one, titled "Past," discusses the history of sex and gender and how scientists developed the idea of the

gender binary The gender binary (also known as gender binarism) is the classification of gender into two distinct forms of masculine and feminine, whether by social system, Culture, cultural belief, or both simultaneously. Most cultures use a gender binary, ...

of female and male through the scope of

evolution Evolution is the change in the heritable Phenotypic trait, characteristics of biological populations over successive generations. It occurs when evolutionary processes such as natural selection and genetic drift act on genetic variation, re ...

. Fine argues that the idea of humans being naturally male or female arose from this evolutionary research and begins to construct her arguments against it by discussing the research. In part two, "Present," Fine reviews the current

scientific consensus Scientific consensus is the generally held judgment, position, and opinion of the majority or the supermajority of scientists in a particular field of study at any particular time. Consensus is achieved through scholarly communication at confer ...

that contributes to the ideas separating the concepts of

and

gender identities Gender identity is the personal sense of one's own gender. Gender identity can correlate with a person's assigned sex or can differ from it. In most individuals, the various biological determinants of sex are congruent and consistent with the i ...

in society. She begins with a discussion about

genetics Genetics is the study of genes, genetic variation, and heredity in organisms.Hartl D, Jones E (2005) It is an important branch in biology because heredity is vital to organisms' evolution. Gregor Mendel, a Moravian Augustinians, Augustinian ...

and

hormones A hormone (from the Greek participle , "setting in motion") is a class of signaling molecules in multicellular organisms that are sent to distant organs or tissues by complex biological processes to regulate physiology and behavior. Hormones a ...

and argues that there are flaws in the use of those as metrics to label a person as male or female because some people do not fit neatly in either category due to

intersex Intersex people are those born with any of several sex characteristics, including chromosome patterns, gonads, or genitals that, according to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, "do not fit typical binar ...

conditions, etc. Fine goes on to talk about the emphasis current society has put on the primary

male sex hormone Sex hormones, also known as sex steroids, gonadocorticoids and gonadal steroids, are steroid hormones that interact with vertebrate steroid hormone receptors. The sex hormones include the androgens, estrogens, and progestogens. Their effects are ...

testosterone Testosterone is the primary male sex hormone and androgen in Male, males. In humans, testosterone plays a key role in the development of Male reproductive system, male reproductive tissues such as testicles and prostate, as well as promoting se ...

and how that emphasis currently relates to males and the behavior males exhibit. Part three, "Future," goes into more detail about some of the issues that are affecting the forward movement of society because of its ideas around testosterone.

Reception

Annie Murphy Paul's review in ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' was positive. Paul goes through major arguments and anecdotes recounted in the book, commenting with high praise, saying "again and again, Fine questions the way we think of biological sex." At the end of the review, she suggests some might find the reading to be rapid-paced and dense. Katrina Krammer's review in ''

Chemistry World ''Chemistry World'' is a monthly chemistry news magazine published by the Royal Society of Chemistry. The magazine addresses current events in the world of chemistry including research, international business news and government policy as it affe ...

'' is positive. Krammer points out that the book is humorous, which, she says, is a surprise because of the book's serious topics and well-formed arguments. The reviewer believes that the book is written in an accessible language 'free of jargon' which makes the book understandable by people without a scientific background. Mel Rumble of the ''

New Scientist ''New Scientist'' is a popular science magazine covering all aspects of science and technology. Based in London, it publishes weekly English-language editions in the United Kingdom, the United States and Australia. An editorially separate organ ...

'' gave a neutral review of the book. Rumble focuses more on the arguments around the experiments Fine talks about and the flaws she discusses in those experiments. Rumble believes that Fine is making a connection between gender/testosterone ideas in science: "Ultimately, Fine leaves us clear that Testosterone Rex's old stories are unjustified. What happens next is 'a question for our values, not science', says Fine, arguing for a world where cultural and gender norms sit with evolution, genetics and hormones to take account of all the influences."

Awards

* 2017 Royal Society Inside Investment Science Book Prize

References

2017 non-fiction books W. W. Norton & Company books

External links

* {{official website, https://www.cordelia-fine.com/testosterone-rex.html