h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

It's not really speculation!
Here biological assessments are compared, not the use by humans.
What you discribed underlines the entitled existence of such a research.
CoXinelle

All I know is, that life without women is like a soup without a salt. You can eat it but it does'nt taste good.

The temptation at this point to giggle girlishly and use my blondeness as a sheild is really rather strong. However I must point out that this particular conversation seems to be going down the road of brain disorders and I dunno what it has to do with women any more. Once again if a point is missed I will run away screaming I'M BLONDE! and will deny all knowledge of this conversation in future lives.

I think women have a sense of logic that other women understand perfectly, therefore it must be a dysfunction within the male skull cavity that results in their confusion. Therefore, people I ask you..... *stands on soap box* ......should the question infact be:

WHY don't MEN understand women?

I thank you.....

*scoops up large Pan Galactic Gargleblaster and sweeps majestically away*

I dont think it has anything to do with disorder, necessarily--the research simply describes a difference in functioning. Surely both modes have their advantages?
LizardLady

That analogy's bad because salt is unhealthy, wheras women...

Sorry if your question wasn't aimed at me IanG - I can't quite get the hang of these "round table" type threads. If it was though, I think (though I could be wrong - often am) Plaguesville's offer of "schizophrenia" as a possible answer to your question: "Certainly when the two halves of the brain get severed, there is evidence that thoughts can progress *entirely* independently in each half of the brain, and what's that if not totally concurrent thought?", was light hearted. Also my agreement with his analysis was not meant seriously.

I've never really got the hang of human psychology so my anecdote was, in the absence of any deeper knowledge of the subject on my part, just a real life example of what you had suggested was the case. I was supporting you.

I've just looked the term up in Encarta and found that schizophrenia means "split mind" but it doesn't imply a split personality.

who knew Mugwumps (or salamanders) used Encarta?and such big words too...this forum started out so simple.....
*BANG*head explodes*

ORC...I think you're on to something.

We spend so much time trying to analyse MEN & WOMEN that I believe I've even forgotten the original question...in fact there may be no question at all.

What I've learned after 32 years of marraige:

Most women don't want to know how to solve problems...they already know the answer, but just want to talk about it. Boy was I ever relieved when I learned this...and just let my wife & daughters talk to their hearts content...they really thought I was sensitive.

Most people need attention... If you are attentive too most people, and make them feel important you really provide an atmosphere to be happy in...

As far as the topic of women go...they're human... and we all come from Earth. My favorite analogy is that Women are like Cats, and Men are like Dogs.

"Most people need attention... If you are attentive too most people, and make them feel important you really provide an atmosphere to be happy in..."
OH! I enjoyed this sentense
Your contribution could cause discussions momentary a stop.
------CoXinelle-------

I've just visited your h2g2-home. I was pleased already to read great contributions.

But there is NOTHING??

Why?

------------CoXinelle

Salamander - my question wasn't really meant to be aimed at anyone in particular - the great thing about h2g2 is that anyone can join in!

The answer "schizoprenia" may have been light hearted, but it annoyed me for a number of reasons. (1) schizophrenia has nothing to do with capacity for concurrent thought - having consulted my tame psyhcologist, she tells me that it's just not even close (and "split mind" by the way is just a translation of the word itself, it's misleading because it actually has nothing to do with the medical definition). (2) Whilst there is a vernacular use of "schizophrenia" (the popular Jekyll and Hyde stereotype, which also has absolutely nothing to do with what a psychologist would recognise as schizophrenia, but since that's what most people think of when they hear the word, from a lexicographer's point of view that definition is just as 'correct' as the medical one).

(3) (and I think this is the real reason it annoyed me ) I was trying to make a serious point, and all I got in response was a flawed joke. But that's my problem...

In a desperate attempt to try and drag this back on topic, but avoid the popular cop-out of trying to claim that men and women can never possibly under one another (not a belief to which I subscribe) I'll press on...

The reason I brought up the severed corpus callosum example is that this appears to indicate that if the connection between the brain is entirely severed, then concurrent thought processes can definitely take place (and indeed are more likely to take place). So surely this means that women's predisposition to concurrent thought is *despite* the larger corpus callosum, not because of it.

Oh, CoXinelle,

Patience, my child.
Did you not notice Harry's Researcher No.?
Did you not notice Harry's mentioning a wife and daughters?
He comes with words of wisdom and experience and immediately people start to nag. Reminds my of my late mother in law. She bought me two ties for my bithday. I immediately put one on to show my gratitude and she said "So ... you don't like the other one then?"
I'm sure that Harry will, in his own good time, organise his page with the same success that he has organised his happy home.

Ok Ian, schizophrenia was a red herring. I didn't mean to drag your serious discussion down, but my anecdote was serious. It was shown that when the corpus callosum is severed, the two hemispheres of the brain start to act independently of each other.

As I mentioned, psychology isn't really my bag - too much unbelievable mumbo jumbo for me to deal with. However, I do still have an opinion on the subject. This is it: Men and women can understand each other to the extent that they choose to. If we're different (and we are) it's for good practical, logical reasons - evolutionarily speaking. It's difficult to see what purpose the constant bickering between men and women (about which sex is better and why) serves. It's childish and pointless. A generation or 2 back, men were trying to prove the inferiority of women by reference to their brain size, then there was a counter-attack that made reference to the density of wrinkles on the brain's surface. Is it to be the corpus callosum now?

So women have probably developed stronger or more numerous connection between the two halves of their brains to allow them to function more efficiently as females (with all that entails) whereas men function perfectly adequately as males with fewer or weaker connection. Natural selection made us what we are and we're both good at what we do. A severed corpus callosum is a tragedy for the poor so and so suffering it's consequences but it doesn't necessarily have anything to say about people with normal brain function. Excuse my analogy if you find it flawed, but I think it's like the difference between hanging from a strong thick rope or a strong thin rope or having no rope at all - and plummeting to the ground. Both ropes work just fine - no rope is a problem.

The book "Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus" is all the education you will ever need about understanding the differences between men and women. I personally feel there should be "some" time set aside during the school-term for teaching kids how to get on with the opposite sex. Scrub the sex-education. Sex is easy. A biological function. What the kids need to know is : "How to find a person I can love, live in harmony with, respect as an individual whilst choosing to share their life with me, and live happily ever after".
Yea, I know. Cloud Cuckoo Land. And, yes, I am a divorced, single-parent, so what do I know......

Thanks Aurora (beautiful name by the way)
The question is: do the man or women spice up your life? Whether or not is salt healthy, is a different question, although I believe that it isn't harmful.
Of course it depends on quantity, if you try to drink seawater you will lose water from your muscles because of high presence of salt, on the other hand if you drink water from the river (clean, without industrial or human waste in it) you won't have that problem although there is a salt in river water.
Also I think that salt has a purifying effect on a body. Almost the same as male-female relation has on soul.

You think that a male/female relationship has a purifying effect on the soul? Lucky, lucky you, 32. A good job you can't read my relationship history

Hi, St. Galaxy Babe,

Your plea for intra personal education is a good idea. So good that it's unlikely to make progress.
After the wonderful reception accorded to my "schizophrenia" offering I am pleased to suggest that item 1 on the curriculum should be:
"Astrology is bunk, shun horoscopes, rely on your own commonsense."

OK, (Brain) Food for thought.

BBC2 Tuesday 18th July 9.00pm
"Brain Story"
May resolve / dispel some of the notions in recent postings.
Or perhaps not.

I've heard of that book. So the theory is that men and women are space aliens from different planets then? Hmm, well it sometimes seems that way, I guess. My favourite source of wisdom on such matters as sex differences, is Richard Dawkins. He's ever such a sensible boy and very down to Earth.

I think perhaps boys and girls should get some guidance at school on treating each other like human beings, since, for some reason some parents obviously fail to give it. I don't know about lessons on finding a person to love though. I think that might be fraught with difficulties (not to mention disappointment).

Well St. Galaxy Babe
I had couple of fiasco's too, but I think that we are responsible for the choices we make, sometimes they are good and sometimes they aren't, yet they always fill our being's with new experiences.
Basic fact: if you repeat your actions all over again time after time, you will meet same problems, change action >>> see new result. So, in the end relationships can help us define our likes or dislikes, and that is certainly close to purification.