Do we have a definition of these roots?Originally Posted by palette
It's rather difficult to answer this question without knowing what is natural and what is "invention", as you put it. The argument could be made that invention is natural for humans and that we are therefore perfectly within our nature. But you may have meant something more specific?
As far as the gender differentiation, that further complicates the situation as gender itself is one of these inventions that you speak of. Essentialists would disagree, but gender is a completely invented cultural construction. Why we dichotomize society based on sexual organs rather than the length of one's nose or the colour of one's hair is a cultural matter. Though no doubt being derived from real biological differences, gendering itself is an invention of humanity and it's hard to pinpoint exactly what the "natural" difference is between men and women. This makes it extremely difficult to say which gender is closer to their "nature".
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