Evolutionary Psychology and the Naturalization of Gender Inequality

Abstract

This article explores the uses of evolutionary psychology in a corpus of 29 articles published by the online magazine Quillette. We show that while they openly rely on a rationalist, descriptive stance, Quillette contributors actively promote a range of normative views on science and the social world, including gender inequalities, with the stated goal to question the so-called “left-wing” and “blank slate” orthodoxies. In so doing, this magazine participates to the development and diffusion of a conservative meritocratic frame that strongly resembles the self-legitimizing discourses put forth by socially dominant groups, only in a naturalized form.