The pseudoscience of the manosphere

In May I gave a talk called The Pseudoscience of the Manosphere for the Cambridge University students group called ‘Students Against Pseudoscience’. A full video of the talk, and the abstract, are included below.

The manosphere is a collection of blogs, forums, and online communities devoted to a wide range of men’s issues – ranging from life philosophies and gender relations to self-help around relationships and sex. Closely linked to the men’s rights movement and the far-right more broadly, the manosphere is steeped in anti-feminist and misogynistic ideas, with members having been involved in a wide range of harassment campaigns against women online. Some have also engaged in violent terrorist attacks.

Through a study of the Reddit forum r/TheRedPill, Simon examines how members of the manosphere use pseudoscientific theories to justify this misogyny. Manosphere ideology is based in genetic determinism and evolutionary biology, with participants arguing that genetic differences between men and women fundamentally shape sexual relationships. Women are spoken about as inherently sexually promiscuous, selfish and unfaithful. They are also seen as weak, only seeking dominant and confident men who have a ‘high value’, measured through looks, sexual prowess and most importantly, wealth. These ideas are discussed heavily within r/TheRedPill, providing a dense theoretical basis for the movement.

Brought together in this talk Simon argues that this pseudoscience provides justification for misogyny and harassment directed toward women by ‘othering’ them as inherently different to men. He provides an analysis of the pseudoscience that underpins the manosphere, detailing how this shapes their ideology and the misogyny within.