Re:Google Fires Employee Behind Controversial Diversity Memo
by tiles on Monday August 07, 2017 @11:54PM
(#14954047)
Arguing the biological factors make a meaningful difference in engineering feels like arguing for vim or emacs makes for a better engineer, or Windows vs. Mac users, or Chrome vs Firefox. Even if you use a computer differently just considering how broad the field of engineering is, I cannot imagine a case where biological factors are a more likely predictor of success than plain old institutional bias.
Re:Google Fires Employee Behind Controversial Diversity Memo
by mr_spothawk on Tuesday August 08, 2017 @01:37AM
(#14954747)
> the biological factors make a meaningful difference in engineering feels like arguing for vim or emacs makes for a better engineer
the author wasn't suggesting they make better engineers, just that they make different career choices than pursuing engineering
Men and women DO have different biological make ups, and there are detectable and measurable changes in statistical behavioral at large sample sizes. That's ok.
I don't condone hiring, firing, etc based on this information. And I do think diversity hiring is a good thing, as it pays dividends that go further than pure ability. Ideation is more powerful when diverse viewpoints and backgrounds are present, for example.
I think the author of the memo was wrong, but you can't de-construct his argument like this to subsequently claim an obvious moral authority.