Extra Credit
Due Saturday May 2nd before 5pm on Canvas: Write a report on the following video and the three articles (you can earn up
to 100 points):
PLEASE NOTE: this assignment is NOT required. You do not need to do this. It has nothing to do with your grade. It is your
decision to work on this. There is no need to do this assignment if you do not want to.
Introduction:
From Socrates we learn that philosophy is a kind of therapy for the soul using each individual’s own innate rationality. The
point of his method was to draw peoples’ attention to contradictions within the set of their own beliefs. Once aware of the
contradictory beliefs people were free to resolve the incoherence by discarding certain beliefs or amending them. The sources
for this extra credit report show that many people hold a contradictory view with regard to young children. On the one hand
minors are not allowed to vote, drive cars, pick their own meals or get tattoos – all for obvious good reason (children –
minors – are not fully developed and are thus not fully capable of rationally evaluating their decisions). However, many of the
same people who would not just do whatever a kid said are willing to let them make life altering, permanent decisions when
it comes to sex and gender. This is a clear contradiction. Why has this contradiction become not only mostly unnoticed but
also acceptable? To ask why in this regard is to enter into philosophical thinking.
The topic this extra credit report is about the treatment of children and the issue of consent. It is not about the wider issue of
transgender rights for consenting adults (This is a free country; people are allowed to do what they want).
Please Note: The purpose of the assignment is not to critique Dr. Q Van Meter (an expert in his field of pediatric
endocrinology) or the articles. Though potentially worthwhile that is not the purpose of this report. I understand that some
may find these sources “one–sided” or biased. I get it. They are critiques. However, as such they do not “strawman” the
opposition. They are good sources – even though some may find them highly disagreeable. The point of these sources is in
fact to expose you to a side of the discussion that is not given mainstream acknowledgement. I know that there are other
sources besides these that support surgical, medical and social interventions for children. In fact, a more balanced source
cannot be found than Debra Soh’s book: The End of Gender: Debunking the Myths about Sex and Identity in Our
