Trappes, Rose (2024) The easy difference: Sex in behavioural ecology. [Preprint]

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Abstract

Sex is pervasive in behavioural ecology. In this short paper I investigate one way sex features in behavioural ecological research: its use as a standard explanatory variable. Researchers often use sex to explain variation in a trait or phenomenon that they are studying. This practice is very widespread, partly because sex is often easy to identify and often explains some variation, thus making it easier to discover and test other causal patterns of interest. Yet sex also frequently fails to explain variation. Using a couple of recent examples, I show how the pervasiveness of sex as an explanatory variable is partly due to the structure of scientific research, including the use of data from large longitudinal studies and generalisation from previous studies. On this basis, I argue that researchers should more carefully assess and justify the relevance of sex to each new study, to avoid overgeneralisation and the perpetuation of assumptions about sexual difference and its importance in biology.

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Item Type:	Preprint
Creators:	Creators Email ORCID Trappes, Rose r.g.trappes@exeter.ac.uk 0000-0002-6398-5404
Additional Information:	Forthcoming in Purple Brains, Working on the limits of feminist philosophy, edited by Annabelle Dufourcq, Annemie Halsema, Katrine Smiet, and Karen Vintges.
Keywords:	sex; philosophy of behavioural ecology; generative entrenchment; explanation
Subjects:	Specific Sciences > Biology > Ecology/Conservation Specific Sciences > Biology > Evolutionary Theory General Issues > Explanation
Depositing User:	Dr Rose Trappes
Date Deposited:	05 Apr 2024 06:37
Last Modified:	05 Apr 2024 06:37
Item ID:	23130
Subjects:	Specific Sciences > Biology > Ecology/Conservation Specific Sciences > Biology > Evolutionary Theory General Issues > Explanation
Date:	2024
URI:	https://philsci-archive.pitt.edu/id/eprint/23130

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• The easy difference: Sex in behavioural ecology. (deposited 05 Apr 2024 06:37) [Currently Displayed]
  • The easy difference: Sex in behavioural ecology. (deposited 27 Jun 2024 13:44)

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