The Gendered Atom: Reflections on the Sexual Psychology of Science

Exploring the uncharted depths of the scientific soul, historian Theodore Roszak finds a maelstrom of repressed sexual prejudices and gender stereotypes beneath the scientist's calm, rational surface. He uses the multiple perspectives of history, literary commentary, science, religion, psychology and travel to present a feminist critique of male-dominated science. Pondering the many meanings of Mary Shelley's "Frankenstein", he finds signs of "macho" science where human arrogance and domination prevail. Roszak presents an attack on scientists who continue to emphasize separation in a world where everything in nature is characterized by organization, structure and relationship. Instead, he imagines a gender-free science that moves beyond the atomistic, male-dominated paradigm to emphasize feeling, compassion and nurture.