Bias vs. Bias

On Monday morning, Google CEO Sundar Pichai fired an employee, James Damore, for writing a memo stating that Google’s diversity program was based on left wing ideology and not on the biological and/or psychological reasons that the proportion of women in tech jobs and leadership roles is less than that of men. Mr. Pichai stated that while many of the points raised should be discussed, the core assertion of the memo, that men and women are different and that these differences favor men in a company such as Google, was crass gender stereotyping and violated the company’s code of Conduct.

But Mr. Damore does not appear to be a misogynistic troglodyte. He cites numerous articles from well-respected publications (US New and World Report and the Atlantic Monthly, for example) and several peer-reviewed psychological studies to support his assertions. He cites several scientists and authors that readers of my essays will be familiar with including Jonathan Haidt (The Righteous Mind, 2012) and Scott E. Paige, (The Difference, 2008).