Often differences between men and women are cited – including in many publications such as the journal Science – where it’s just attributed automatically to differences in socialisation, cultural expectations, hidden barriers – prejudice an so on – which may all be true; but even the logical possibility that there could be innate differences between men and women is often just unmentionable, just unmentioned, so not even put out there as an empirical hypothesis; tested – perhaps refuted – but taboo.

Steven Pinker in conversation with Michael Shermer, 4 October 2014