Book Review
Pythagoras' Trousers:
God, Physics, and the Gender Wars
by Margaret Wertheim
In Pythathagoras’ Trousers, the author Margaret Wertheim set
out to write the wonderful history of all the women who contributed to physics
over the centuries. However, she discovered that the history of women in
physics was not wonderful at all. The information she found was more like the
history of women being excluded from physics. She attributes this to the
culture of physics, which has existed in an elitist, priest-like way since the
days of Pythagoras and his secret society.
In the past, the secrets of physics
were written in Latin, a language only priests were likely to learn at the
time. Latin was mostly a written language, not commonly spoken, and the layperson,
both men and women, did not have access to such elite knowledge. Galileo started
to write about science in Italian for the public to read, and this behavior
definitely got him into trouble with the Church.
Marie Curie
Who are the
women who succeeded in physics? The book discusses several women, including
Marie Curie and Hypatia, to name a few.
Hypatia
These women succeeded when an
enlightened individual decided there was no reason a woman couldn’t learn the
science that he knew. When there is such a strong current in the culture
discouraging women to learn physics, to counter that current it takes a lot of
encouragement for women to succeed, and that is still true today.
According to
this book, there is a long history of women in physics being oppressed. This is a
direct result of men preventing women from learning, which could be related to
the patriarchal power structure of the Church.
Today, as we
discuss the progress of women in STEM fields, many wonder why women are still
underrepresented in the field of physics. After all, women are well-represented
and respected in almost all fields of science, while physics alone lingers with
an underrepresentation of women. The
author posits that “physics as a religion” may turn women away from the field.
I won’t tell you all of her opinions; however, she discusses the search for the
god particle and the almost religious hero worship of physicists like Einstein.
Why should
you read this book? As a physicist or physics teacher, you will learn more
about what women must overcome to become eminent in the field of physics. What
does it take to mentor women into becoming successful physics? After reading,
you might be more likely to take that extra step in encouraging your female
physics students to stick with it. You could be that enlightened individual who
encourages young women to persevere in the field, just like the mentors of
Hypatia and Marie Curie.
After
reading this book, I hope you will be inspired to rewrite the story of physics
from an exclusive club to a more inclusive and inviting culture of physics.
