Alex Byrne is Professor of Philosophy at MIT.

"Alex Byrne masterfully does what philosophers are supposed to do: clarify words and concepts, identify which ideas follows from which other ones, and distinguish what is from what ought to be. And despite the now incendiary subject matter, he accomplishes all this with a light touch and an appealing voice."Steven Pinker, Johnstone Professor of Psychology, Harvard University, and author of Rationality"A refreshingly clarifying and forthright take on the philosophy of gender activism, cutting through the noise with incisiveness and wit. Anyone interested in the gender wars needs to read it."Kathleen Stock, author of Material Girls"Alex Byrne's Trouble with Gender is an admirably clear and rigorous book that outlines the major parameters of what is often an off-kilter discussion. Combining philosophy and science with an eye for how issues of sex and gender are discussed in the media, Byrne gives the reader a lesson not only in how to think about these specific issues, but also in how to think at all."Nina Power, author of One Dimensional Woman and What Do Men Want?"Current academic discussions of sex and gender are dominated by advocates, dogmatists, poseurs, and obscurantists. Trouble with Gender offers a lucid, rigorous and judicious guide to the perplexed. It’s an antidote to irrationality and also a pleasure to read."Christina Hoff Sommers, author of Who Stole Feminism?"Everyone with opinions, or questions, about matters of sex and gender should read this book. It carefully and incisively unravels the tangled mass of ideas that cluster under the umbrella of gender. It does not engage in politics, or question the extent of human variability, or deny the reality of anyone’s experience, but it does claim that there is no escape from the concept of sex as binary, and that the prevailing orthodoxy, which treats sex as socially constructed and an infinitely malleable continuum, is ‘tragically wrong’. I challenge anyone who accepts that orthodoxy to explain in detail where the arguments presented here go wrong."Janet Radcliffe Richards, author of The Sceptical Feminist“excellent… Byrne succeeds wildly.”Jesse Singal, Substack“an excellent book — accessible, scholarly and by far the best to date on the subject”The Times“Trouble with Gender is an excellent work of public philosophy”The Philosopher’s Magazine

• Preface   Introduction   Chapter 1: Gender, Double Toil and Trouble Chapter 2: ‘Gender’ TroubleChapter 3: Clownfish and Chromosomes Chapter 4: I am WomanChapter 5: The Rise of Gender Identity Chapter 6: Born in the Wrong Body    Chapter 7: Is Biology Destiny?  Chapter 8: True Selves and Identity Crises  CodaAcknowledgementsBibliography   NotesIndex

Alex Byrne is Professor of Philosophy at MIT.

"Alex Byrne masterfully does what philosophers are supposed to do: clarify words and concepts, identify which ideas follows from which other ones, and distinguish what is from what ought to be. And despite the now incendiary subject matter, he accomplishes all this with a light touch and an appealing voice."Steven Pinker, Johnstone Professor of Psychology, Harvard University, and author of Rationality"A refreshingly clarifying and forthright take on the philosophy of gender activism, cutting through the noise with incisiveness and wit. Anyone interested in the gender wars needs to read it."Kathleen Stock, author of Material Girls"Alex Byrne's Trouble with Gender is an admirably clear and rigorous book that outlines the major parameters of what is often an off-kilter discussion. Combining philosophy and science with an eye for how issues of sex and gender are discussed in the media, Byrne gives the reader a lesson not only in how to think about these specific issues, but also in how to think at all."Nina Power, author of One Dimensional Woman and What Do Men Want?"Current academic discussions of sex and gender are dominated by advocates, dogmatists, poseurs, and obscurantists. Trouble with Gender offers a lucid, rigorous and judicious guide to the perplexed. It’s an antidote to irrationality and also a pleasure to read."Christina Hoff Sommers, author of Who Stole Feminism?"Everyone with opinions, or questions, about matters of sex and gender should read this book. It carefully and incisively unravels the tangled mass of ideas that cluster under the umbrella of gender. It does not engage in politics, or question the extent of human variability, or deny the reality of anyone’s experience, but it does claim that there is no escape from the concept of sex as binary, and that the prevailing orthodoxy, which treats sex as socially constructed and an infinitely malleable continuum, is ‘tragically wrong’. I challenge anyone who accepts that orthodoxy to explain in detail where the arguments presented here go wrong."Janet Radcliffe Richards, author of The Sceptical Feminist“excellent… Byrne succeeds wildly.”Jesse Singal, Substack“an excellent book — accessible, scholarly and by far the best to date on the subject”The Times“Trouble with Gender is an excellent work of public philosophy”The Philosopher’s Magazine

• Preface   Introduction   Chapter 1: Gender, Double Toil and Trouble Chapter 2: ‘Gender’ TroubleChapter 3: Clownfish and Chromosomes Chapter 4: I am WomanChapter 5: The Rise of Gender Identity Chapter 6: Born in the Wrong Body    Chapter 7: Is Biology Destiny?  Chapter 8: True Selves and Identity Crises  CodaAcknowledgementsBibliography   NotesIndex

Alex Byrne is Professor of Philosophy at MIT.

"Alex Byrne masterfully does what philosophers are supposed to do: clarify words and concepts, identify which ideas follows from which other ones, and distinguish what is from what ought to be. And despite the now incendiary subject matter, he accomplishes all this with a light touch and an appealing voice."Steven Pinker, Johnstone Professor of Psychology, Harvard University, and author of Rationality"A refreshingly clarifying and forthright take on the philosophy of gender activism, cutting through the noise with incisiveness and wit. Anyone interested in the gender wars needs to read it."Kathleen Stock, author of Material Girls"Alex Byrne's Trouble with Gender is an admirably clear and rigorous book that outlines the major parameters of what is often an off-kilter discussion. Combining philosophy and science with an eye for how issues of sex and gender are discussed in the media, Byrne gives the reader a lesson not only in how to think about these specific issues, but also in how to think at all."Nina Power, author of One Dimensional Woman and What Do Men Want?"Current academic discussions of sex and gender are dominated by advocates, dogmatists, poseurs, and obscurantists. Trouble with Gender offers a lucid, rigorous and judicious guide to the perplexed. It’s an antidote to irrationality and also a pleasure to read."Christina Hoff Sommers, author of Who Stole Feminism?"Everyone with opinions, or questions, about matters of sex and gender should read this book. It carefully and incisively unravels the tangled mass of ideas that cluster under the umbrella of gender. It does not engage in politics, or question the extent of human variability, or deny the reality of anyone’s experience, but it does claim that there is no escape from the concept of sex as binary, and that the prevailing orthodoxy, which treats sex as socially constructed and an infinitely malleable continuum, is ‘tragically wrong’. I challenge anyone who accepts that orthodoxy to explain in detail where the arguments presented here go wrong."Janet Radcliffe Richards, author of The Sceptical Feminist“excellent… Byrne succeeds wildly.”Jesse Singal, Substack“an excellent book — accessible, scholarly and by far the best to date on the subject”The Times“Trouble with Gender is an excellent work of public philosophy”The Philosopher’s Magazine

• Preface   Introduction   Chapter 1: Gender, Double Toil and Trouble Chapter 2: ‘Gender’ TroubleChapter 3: Clownfish and Chromosomes Chapter 4: I am WomanChapter 5: The Rise of Gender Identity Chapter 6: Born in the Wrong Body    Chapter 7: Is Biology Destiny?  Chapter 8: True Selves and Identity Crises  CodaAcknowledgementsBibliography   NotesIndex