Lincoln Taiz and Lee Taiz
- Published in print:
- 2017
- Published Online:
- July 2018
- ISBN:
- 9780190490263
- eISBN:
- 9780190868673
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/oso/9780190490263.001.0001
- Subject:
- Biology, Ecology, Plant Sciences and Forestry
Sex in animals has been known for at least ten thousand years, and this knowledge was exploited during animal domestication in the Neolithic period. In contrast, sex in plants wasn’t discovered until ...
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Sex in animals has been known for at least ten thousand years, and this knowledge was exploited during animal domestication in the Neolithic period. In contrast, sex in plants wasn’t discovered until the late seventeenth century. Even after its discovery, the sexual “theory” continued to be hotly debated for another 150 years, pitting the “sexualists” against the “asexualists.” Why was the idea of sex in plants so contentious for so long? In answer, Flora Unveiled offers a deep history of perceptions concerning plant gender and sexuality, from the Paleolithic to the nineteenth century. Evidence suggests that an obstacle far beyond the mere facts of pollination mechanisms stymied the discovery of two sexes in plants, and then delayed its acceptance. This was a “plants-as-female” paradigm. Flora Unveiled explores the sources of this gender bias, beginning with women’s roles as gatherers, plant-textile makers, crop domesticators, and early horticulturists. In myths and religions of the Bronze and Iron Ages, goddesses were strongly identified with flowers, trees and agricultural abundance. During the Middle Ages and Renaissance, this tradition was assimilated to Christianity in the person of Mary. The one-sex model of plants continued into the Early Modern Period, and staged resurgences during the eighteenth century Enlightenment and in the Romantic movement. Not until the nineteenth century, when Wilhelm Hofmeister demonstrated the universality of sex in the plant kingdom, was the controversy over plant sex finally resolved. Flora Unveiled chronicles how persistently cultural biases can impede discovery and delay the acceptance of scientific advances.Less
Sex in animals has been known for at least ten thousand years, and this knowledge was exploited during animal domestication in the Neolithic period. In contrast, sex in plants wasn’t discovered until the late seventeenth century. Even after its discovery, the sexual “theory” continued to be hotly debated for another 150 years, pitting the “sexualists” against the “asexualists.” Why was the idea of sex in plants so contentious for so long? In answer, Flora Unveiled offers a deep history of perceptions concerning plant gender and sexuality, from the Paleolithic to the nineteenth century. Evidence suggests that an obstacle far beyond the mere facts of pollination mechanisms stymied the discovery of two sexes in plants, and then delayed its acceptance. This was a “plants-as-female” paradigm. Flora Unveiled explores the sources of this gender bias, beginning with women’s roles as gatherers, plant-textile makers, crop domesticators, and early horticulturists. In myths and religions of the Bronze and Iron Ages, goddesses were strongly identified with flowers, trees and agricultural abundance. During the Middle Ages and Renaissance, this tradition was assimilated to Christianity in the person of Mary. The one-sex model of plants continued into the Early Modern Period, and staged resurgences during the eighteenth century Enlightenment and in the Romantic movement. Not until the nineteenth century, when Wilhelm Hofmeister demonstrated the universality of sex in the plant kingdom, was the controversy over plant sex finally resolved. Flora Unveiled chronicles how persistently cultural biases can impede discovery and delay the acceptance of scientific advances.
Adriel M. Trott
- Published in print:
- 2019
- Published Online:
- May 2020
- ISBN:
- 9781474455220
- eISBN:
- 9781474476874
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Edinburgh University Press
- DOI:
- 10.3366/edinburgh/9781474455220.003.0001
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Feminist Philosophy
The Introduction considers how Aristotle’s normative view of form and matter, associated with male and female, makes for a metaphysics of gender that construes the male as what has meaning and ...
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The Introduction considers how Aristotle’s normative view of form and matter, associated with male and female, makes for a metaphysics of gender that construes the male as what has meaning and definition and the female as what is in need of such definition. The one- and two-sex models in the history of thinking of sexual difference are explained to show how Aristotle seems to fit in both and neither by construing matter as what is not form on the one-sex model but also considering form and matter separate and distinct causes. This framing points to the problem that matter has posed to the history of philosophy—matter is posited to fill a role that it seems only capable of fulfilling by having no power of its own—and offers the Möbius strip as a model for thinking matter’s relation to form.Less
The Introduction considers how Aristotle’s normative view of form and matter, associated with male and female, makes for a metaphysics of gender that construes the male as what has meaning and definition and the female as what is in need of such definition. The one- and two-sex models in the history of thinking of sexual difference are explained to show how Aristotle seems to fit in both and neither by construing matter as what is not form on the one-sex model but also considering form and matter separate and distinct causes. This framing points to the problem that matter has posed to the history of philosophy—matter is posited to fill a role that it seems only capable of fulfilling by having no power of its own—and offers the Möbius strip as a model for thinking matter’s relation to form.
Adriel M. Trott
- Published in print:
- 2019
- Published Online:
- May 2020
- ISBN:
- 9781474455220
- eISBN:
- 9781474476874
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Edinburgh University Press
- DOI:
- 10.3366/edinburgh/9781474455220.003.0009
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Feminist Philosophy
The conclusion returns to the concern over whether material in Aristotle is subordinated to form, and thus whether Aristotle promulgates a normative metaphysics that maligns matter. The chapter draws ...
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The conclusion returns to the concern over whether material in Aristotle is subordinated to form, and thus whether Aristotle promulgates a normative metaphysics that maligns matter. The chapter draws together the various aspects of the argument to conclude that Aristotle gives material its own power. The Conclusion considers the implications of this argument for fitting Aristotle into the one-sex and two-sex models and shows how the Möbius strip is a useful model for conceiving the relationship of form to matter.Less
The conclusion returns to the concern over whether material in Aristotle is subordinated to form, and thus whether Aristotle promulgates a normative metaphysics that maligns matter. The chapter draws together the various aspects of the argument to conclude that Aristotle gives material its own power. The Conclusion considers the implications of this argument for fitting Aristotle into the one-sex and two-sex models and shows how the Möbius strip is a useful model for conceiving the relationship of form to matter.
Lincoln Taiz and Lee Taiz
- Published in print:
- 2017
- Published Online:
- July 2018
- ISBN:
- 9780190490263
- eISBN:
- 9780190868673
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/oso/9780190490263.003.0001
- Subject:
- Biology, Ecology, Plant Sciences and Forestry
Chapter one describes “The Quandary Over Plant Sex” in its historical context. The sexual role of pollen wasn’t discovered until the late 17th century, suggesting a deep cultural bias. Beliefs ...
More
Chapter one describes “The Quandary Over Plant Sex” in its historical context. The sexual role of pollen wasn’t discovered until the late 17th century, suggesting a deep cultural bias. Beliefs concerning sex in humans, from Galen and Aristotle onward, were influenced by gender ideology. The lower social status of women suggested a one-sex model, whereby female character and physiology were construed as deficient versions of the male. Plants, because of their association with women, came to be regarded as female. Flowers are often emblematic of women in literature, but flowers seem to produce fruits without carnality, by parthenogenesis. In paintings of the Annunciation, the lily appears almost as regularly as the angel Gabriel as a symbol of Mary’s purity. The association of flowers with female purity hindered the discovery of sex in plants. Although most people are aware of pollen, widespread confusion about its role in sexual reproduction still lingers.Less
Chapter one describes “The Quandary Over Plant Sex” in its historical context. The sexual role of pollen wasn’t discovered until the late 17th century, suggesting a deep cultural bias. Beliefs concerning sex in humans, from Galen and Aristotle onward, were influenced by gender ideology. The lower social status of women suggested a one-sex model, whereby female character and physiology were construed as deficient versions of the male. Plants, because of their association with women, came to be regarded as female. Flowers are often emblematic of women in literature, but flowers seem to produce fruits without carnality, by parthenogenesis. In paintings of the Annunciation, the lily appears almost as regularly as the angel Gabriel as a symbol of Mary’s purity. The association of flowers with female purity hindered the discovery of sex in plants. Although most people are aware of pollen, widespread confusion about its role in sexual reproduction still lingers.
