The Nature of the Sexes: Why Biology Matters

by Tomás Bogardus

Overview

How complex is sex? According to this book, not nearly as complex as we’re often told these days.

Author Tomás Bogardus first critically evaluates varieties of a complex view of sex—supported by Anne Fausto-Sterling, Sarah Richardson, and others—in which sex is a constellation of traits related to chromosomes, hormones, gonads, and phenotypes. Bogardus then considers several gamete-based accounts of sex, to which he is more sympathetic, including those from Alex Byrne, Laura Franklin-Hall, and Paul Griffiths. Shortcomings of these views are described, and an improved account is proposed: the sexes are activated higher-order functions. In short, to be male is to have the function of producing sperm, and to be female is to have the function of producing eggs. Bogardus develops this view, all while untangling the various meanings and definitions of 'gender' and 'gender identity', and while examining whether all of them are ultimately defined in terms of the sexes.

The author then defends his methodology of deferring to biologists when figuring out the nature of the sexes and concludes with practical questions about whether we should revise the meanings of our sex terms for the sake of social justice. He asks whether pronouns like ‘he’ and ‘she’ track biological sex, and whether they should continue to do so.

The Nature of the Sexes: Why Biology Matters expands current philosophical debate on sex and gender, and is essential reading for curious students and academics alike.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781041029533
Publisher:	Taylor & Francis
Publication date:	09/15/2025
Pages:	170
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x (d)

About the Author

Tomás Bogardus is Professor of Philosophy at Pepperdine University, USA. He works mainly in metaphysics and epistemology, as well as philosophy of language, and has been publishing on the philosophy of sex and gender since 2019.

Table of Contents

1. Introduction 2. What the Sexes Could Not Be: The Complex View 3. What the Sexes Could Be: The Gamete View 4. Gender is Defined in Terms of the Sexes 5. When Biology Meets Politics 6. A Defense of the Sex-Tracking View of Pronouns 7. Conclusion

Editorial Reviews

“Bogardus does an excellent job of explaining and dispelling the confusion behind current thinking about sex. He takes his opponents seriously, engaging in a clear, comprehensive, and compelling way. The book is perfectly positioned to make a timely intervention on the current debate, and to reorient conversations about what'sex is, how it relates to gender, and what our obligations are when it comes to pronouns. Bogardus brings ideas from philosophy of biology, philosophy of language, ethics, and more together into a forceful argument that it will be hard for critics to ignore. A must-read for students and academics alike.”

— Holly Lawford-Smith, Associate Professor in Political Philosophy at the University of Melbourne, Australia.

“Contemporary discussions of sex, both inside and outside the academy, have generated nonsense on an industrial scale. In this compact and lucid book, Tomás Bogardus sweeps it all away, arguing for a novel version of the standard biological account of sex.  The Nature of the Sexes also illuminates gender, gender identity, conceptual engineering, and feminine and masculine pronouns. A compelling and important contribution, and a demonstration of the value of careful philosophy.”

— Alex Byrne, Laurance S. Rockefeller Professor of Philosophy at MIT, USA.

From the Publisher