Uploaded May 2026 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago
Talia Mae Bettcher and Tomas Bogardus join me to debate the question, "What is a woman?". Is gender biologically grounded, socially constructed, or something else entirely? If you're looking for a cordial and substantive exchange from two thinkers who fundamentally disagree on these issues, look no further.
My interview with Dr. Bettcher: youtu.be/yljXLc9lUN0
My interview with Dr. Bogardus: youtu.be/SBMWcj_H5D0
This interview is also available as a podcast:
Apple Podcasts: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/85-what-is-a-woman-talia-mae-bettcher-and-tomas-bogardus/id1776277450?i=1000768976952
Spotify: open.spotify.com/episode/2UHfppO0bWTnTfuwTH8Qlx?si=54e1cd982e534ec7
Substack: open.substack.com/pub/mileskdonahue/p/85-what-is-a-woman-talia-mae-bettcher?r=1pf1v9&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true
Check out my Substack where you can get a paid membership because you're awesome: mileskdonahue.substack.com
To support the channel, do please oh please consider donating via Buy Me a Coffee: buymeacoffee.com/mileskdonahue.
Follow me on X: twitter.com/PhilosopherMKD
EPISODE CHAPTERS:
00:00:00 Introduction
00:01:17 Bogardus opening statement
00:02:03 Dictionaries and ordinary usage
00:03:41 The ambiguity view
00:07:09 The resistant concept of woman
00:08:12 Circularity and self-identification
00:11:23 The relevance objection to ambiguity
00:13:47 Non-human men and women
00:16:17 Bettcher opening statement
00:18:29 Woman as a philosophical question
00:19:44 Folk concepts and biological definitions
00:22:13 Folk concepts vs. theoretical concepts
00:24:45 Adult, human, and female
00:28:14 Open discussion begins
00:28:57 Bettcher on the ambiguity thesis
00:30:28 Family resemblance and trans womanhood
00:35:16 Political concepts and same-sex marriage
00:52:25 Are folk concepts biological?
00:57:47 Souls, bodies, and female identity
01:04:31 Twin Earth, Superman, and non-human men
01:13:13 Stone lions, Batman, and conceptual analysis
01:26:44 The husbandry argument
01:29:44 Sex, function, and biology
01:34:35 Why the question matters
01:39:44 Closing statements
Talia Mae Bettcher and Tomas Bogardus join me to debate the question, "What is a woman?". Is gender biologically grounded, socially constructed, or something else entirely? If you're looking for a cordial and substantive exchange from two thinkers who fundamentally disagree on these issues, look no further.
My interview with Dr. Bettcher: youtu.be/yljXLc9lUN0
My interview with Dr. Bogardus: youtu.be/SBMWcj_H5D0
This interview is also available as a podcast:
Apple Podcasts: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/85-what-is-a-woman-talia-mae-bettcher-and-tomas-bogardus/id1776277450?i=1000768976952
Spotify: open.spotify.com/episode/2UHfppO0bWTnTfuwTH8Qlx?si=54e1cd982e534ec7
Substack: open.substack.com/pub/mileskdonahue/p/85-what-is-a-woman-talia-mae-bettcher?r=1pf1v9&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true
Check out my Substack where you can get a paid membership because you're awesome: mileskdonahue.substack.com
To support the channel, do please oh please consider donating via Buy Me a Coffee: buymeacoffee.com/mileskdonahue.
Follow me on X: twitter.com/PhilosopherMKD
EPISODE CHAPTERS:
00:00:00 Introduction
00:01:17 Bogardus opening statement
00:02:03 Dictionaries and ordinary usage
00:03:41 The ambiguity view
00:07:09 The resistant concept of woman
00:08:12 Circularity and self-identification
00:11:23 The relevance objection to ambiguity
00:13:47 Non-human men and women
00:16:17 Bettcher opening statement
00:18:29 Woman as a philosophical question
00:19:44 Folk concepts and biological definitions
00:22:13 Folk concepts vs. theoretical concepts
00:24:45 Adult, human, and female
00:28:14 Open discussion begins
00:28:57 Bettcher on the ambiguity thesis
00:30:28 Family resemblance and trans womanhood
00:35:16 Political concepts and same-sex marriage
00:52:25 Are folk concepts biological?
00:57:47 Souls, bodies, and female identity
01:04:31 Twin Earth, Superman, and non-human men
01:13:13 Stone lions, Batman, and conceptual analysis
01:26:44 The husbandry argument
01:29:44 Sex, function, and biology
01:34:35 Why the question matters
01:39:44 Closing statements
