Diana Fleischman is a Brazilian-American evolutionary psychologist and anti-transgender activist. Anti-trans activism is a family business; Fleischman’s spouse Geoffrey Miller also holds harmful views about sex and gender minorities.
Background
Diana Santos Fleischman was born in São Paulo, Brazil and grew up in the United States. Fleischman earned a bachelor’s degree from Oglethorpe University. Under advisor David Buss, Fleischman earned a doctorate from the University of Texas at Austin 2009, then did postdoctorate work at UNC Chapel Hill.
In addition to evolutionary psychology, Fleischman is also a proponent of effective altruism, a philanthropic movement with a disproportionate number of anti-trans activists. The movement is best exemplified by cryptocurrency scammer Sam Bankman-Fried.
Fleischman is also a proponent of various aspects of eugenics, including polygenic embryo screening. Fleischman characterizes this as an aspect of transhumanism.
Fleischman and Geoffrey Miller married in 2019 and have one child.
Sex segregationism
Fleischman’s life’s work is shoring up the idea of a sex binary in humans. In a 2021 online course on “sex differences,” the syllabus included most of the key sex segregationists in academia.
Simon Baron-Cohen
- Empathising–systemising theory
Sheri A. Berenbaum and J. Michael Bailey
- Effects on Gender Identity of Prenatal Androgens and Genital Appearance: Evidence from Girls with Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia
- The Evolution of Desire
- David Schmitt and David Buss – Sex Differences in Long Term Mating Preferences=
- Daniel Conroy-Beam, David M. Buss, Michael N. Pham, and Todd K. Shackelford How Sexually Dimorphic Are Human Mate Preferences?
Alessandro Cellerino
- Sex differences in face gender recognition in humans with Davide Borghetti and Ferdinando Sartucci
James DamoreJames Damore and transgender people
- Google memo
- “Battle of the Sexes” in The Selfish Gene
- The Distance Between Mars and Venus: Measuring Global Sex Differences in Personality with Tom Booth and Paul Irwing
- Sex Differences in Brain and Behavior: Eight Counterpoints with David A. Puts, David C. Geary, and David P. Schmitt
Peter Fitzgerald
- Biological sex differences relevant to mental health with Timothy G. Dinan
Diana Fleischman:
- “Most people miss this reason women don’t want casual sex”
- (2014). Women’s disgust adaptations. In Weekes-Shackelford VA, & Shackelford TK (Eds.), Evolutionary perspectives on human sexual psychology and behavior
David C. Geary
- The Gender-Equality Paradox in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Education. with Gijsbert Stoet
- Sex Differences in Children’s Play
- Sex differences in social development from Male, Female by David Geary
- Sex Differences in Brain and Behavior: Eight Counterpoints – Marco Del Giudice, David A. Puts, David C. Geary, and David P. Schmitt
- Taking Sex Differences in Personality Seriously
Hermann Joseph Muller
- Muller’s ratchet
Charles Murray
- “Sex Differences in Occupational and Vocational Choices” in Human Diversity
Letitia Peplau
- Human Sexuality: How do men and women differ?
- “Gender” in The Blank Slate
- The Sexual Paradox
Susan Pinker
- The Sexual Paradox
- His Standards or Hers? How Men and Women Define Success
Matt Ridley
- Red Queen hypothesis in The Red Queen
Stuart Ritchie
- Cordelia Fine’s “Testosterone Rex” — A Review
David P. Schmitt
- Would you agree to sex with a total stranger?
- The Truth about Sex Differences
- Sex Differences in Brain and Behavior: Eight Counterpoints – Marco Del Giudice, David A. Puts, David C. Geary, and David P. Schmitt
Aurora Sola
- The science of sex differences is nothing for feminists to be afraid of
Steve Stewart-Williams
- Men women and STEM with Lewis G Halsey
Larry Summers
- President Summers’ Remarks at the National Bureau of Economic Research, Jan. 14 2005
Bo Winegard
- The Myth of Pervasive Misogyny with Corey Clark
Unlike most of these people, Fleischman at least mentions a few people who disagree with this ideology, most notably Cordelia Fine, Daphna Joel, and Gina Rippon.
Anti-LGBT activism
Fleischman is associated with Aporia, formerly known as Ideas Sleep Furiously. Matthew Archer helped found it in 2021. In 2023 Bo Winegard joined after a long run as a Quillette contributor, and Fleischman became a podcast host.
Fleischman appeared with Louise Perry to discuss sex robots.
Fleischman boasted about promoting disease models of trans people created by anti-trans psychologist Ray Blanchard in a 2020 discussion with Justin Lehmiller, Zhana Vrangalova, and Geoffrey Miller. Fleischman is referring to “autogynephilia” and “gynandromorphophilia,” two sex diseases rejected by most ethical researchers.
Fleischman is particularly upset about nonbinary people. The clips below are cued up to selected comments.
Media
Triggernometry (Apr 26, 2020). “We Evolved to Manipulate” – Dr Diana Fleischman. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_YmTPATEArM
Triggernometry (Jul 8, 2018). Dr Diana Fleischman on Evolutionary Psychology, Men & Women & Effective Altruism. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r0Mueu1–ew
Adam Buxton (December 2019). Ep. 112 – Dr. Diana Fleischman. -https://soundcloud.com/adam-buxton/ep112-dr-diana-fleischman
Falkovich, Jacob (July 8, 2019). Diana Fleischman and Geoffrey Miller – Interview. Putanumonit https://putanumonit.com/2019/07/08/diana-fleischman-and-geoffrey-miller-interview/
Escaped Sapiens (November 24, 2021). #28: How Your Evolved Psychology Controls You | Diana Fleischman. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5cW4FrYBmtI
Renegade Ape (Jun 21, 2020). #096 – Chick Brains & Dude Noodles (Diana Fleischman). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OEFGRZdwDmU
Murphy, Justin (April 3, 2017). Diana S. Fleischman – Other Life #6 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VzQ9wYy2Ryw
Miller, Geoffrey (April 4, 2020). Sex research today: A chat w. Justin Lehmiller, Zhana Vrangalova, Diana Fleischman & Geoffrey Miller https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WWG0tRyVYgU
Casual Intellectual (July 8, 2020). Evo Psychology with Dr Diana Fleischman. Fularsız Entellik https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KyR9aT0zpRI
Antisocial Psychologists (April 16, 2021). Utilitarianism, sentientism, and reducing your suffering footprint with guest-host Diana Fleischman. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8TFipWM9Jwk
The Wright Show (December 3, 2018) Evolutionary Psychology and #MeToo | Robert Wright & Diana Fleischman Nonzero https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vBiBYQ_8gKw
![Evolutionary Psychology and #MeToo | Robert Wright & Diana Fleischman [The Wright Show]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/vBiBYQ_8gKw/hqdefault.jpg)
Williamson, Chris (March 5, 2021). How Catching Covid Can Change Your Personality – Dr Diana Fleischman | Modern Wisdom Podcast 290. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TDveQyelQfM
(Oct 15, 2019). Stossel: The Science Around Male Brains vs. Female Brains. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GLptT1u8LWI
Resources
Diana Fleischman (dianafleischman.com)
- CV (2018) http://docs.wixstatic.com/ugd/cb1e47_861ac0abd7e94d32b5f7bcb35bfbc90b.pdf
Dianaverse (dianaverse.com)
Twitter (twitter.com)
- sentientist
- AporiaMagazine
- Ideas_Sleep [removed]
Substack (dissentient.substack.com)
- dissentient.substack.com
- ideassleepfuriously.substack.com
- aporiamagazine.com
- ideassleepfuriously.com
Patreon (patreon.com)
- Ideas_Sleep [removed]
Wikipedia (en.wikipedia.org)
YouTube (youtube.com)