Benjamin Hope

I’m skint. Buy me a coffee here: ko-fi.com/benhopeartist Cheers. Back to work.

Zippos and the Funfair, Blackheath. Oil on panel

@ToKTeacher @DavidDeutschOxf Voila... youtu.be/POqAx53Q9C4?si… youtu.be/KZ8XMon0d5Y?si… youtu.be/6Qf0z5ZMjJs?si…

@BenHopeArtist @DavidDeutschOxf Excellent! I’ll have to find that…

@DavidDeutschOxf in case you've not seen it, here's a joyous clip of the late great Ken Campbell recounting his time interviewing you. youtu.be/oWtvyBILA4I?si… @ToKTeacher might also enjoy it. Full anecdote is 30 mins while he walks his dog.

@ToKTeacher @DavidDeutschOxf The original interview was for the 1990sCh4 doc series Reality on the Rocks (sometimes available on YouTube) which was very good. Ken also based one of his one-man shows on it but alas I didn't get to go.

@BenHopeArtist @DavidDeutschOxf Ok - so, a bit of a blunder in attributing a version of Feynman's "no one understands quantum mechanics" quip to David. But we can forgive that given he manages to *actually demonstrate an understanding* of quantum mechanics that refutes that claim.

@GertieSash @jk_rowling Whether or not one agrees with him, I don't understand how your replies relate to the quote

Yes.

Here’s Henry in a chair. Total drawing time 2.5 hours ish. Fun.

@Aletheia_70 @Scienceofsport Would you let a few not-very-advantaged grey squirrels into a protected enclosure where they take up space and resources rightfully set aside for the flourishing of the red squirrels that the greys ordinarily out-compete? I would argue against doing so.

Really interesting question here about the position of those with CAIS (Complete Androgen Insensitivity Syndrome) in female sport. And some great answers from @Scienceofsport. He suggests the primary challenge may actually be accurate detection.

@AnthonyDWard @penllwyd @Scienceofsport 4/n In other words, all this discussion of male advantage is kind of subtly missing the point. That is, having established the well-defined female category (for all the right reasons to do with male advantage), only one question remains: are they female?

@AnthonyDWard @penllwyd @Scienceofsport 3/n Even a grey squirrel with no obvious competitive advantage is still not a member of the biological class red squirrel. Once admitted, the grey takes space and resources set aside for a class of which it is not a member.

@Scienceofsport I am surprised by your view on Complete Androgen Insensitivity Syndrome. I think a fairness problem remains even when male testosterone advantage is in some sense absent. It is about increasing the field of competitors from outside the *female* category...

@mar2vickers @Scienceofsport I disagree. The female sex category in sport is not a category of "anything that seems insufficiently advantaged".

@BenHopeArtist @Scienceofsport ...but rationally related to performance, not only sex division.

Well done IOC. Grass roots authorities next please.

@penllwyd @Scienceofsport Genuinely sorry to labour the point, but not being female is also a sound biological reason to be excluded from the historically-established well-defined female category.

@Scienceofsport @BenHopeArtist There may be sound biological reasons to exclude CAIS individuals from female sport.

A giant leap forward for women’s sport. They’ve done the right thing with a strong, clear policy. No equivocation, no tap-dancing, no pretence of “balancing priorities.” Plus, a means to test for eligibility. Those responsible (this time) deserve real congratulations. More later

@Scienceofsport Fair enough. I think it's very simple. And philosophical / mathematical rather than social. Anyway love your podcast. Keep 'em coming

@BenHopeArtist That's fine, you're entitled to do that. I've been in the policy discussions and court cases and I'm not going to weigh in on the non-biological reasons for women's sport, there are others better equipped. But I think it's a hard position to argue successfully at this time

@Scienceofsport now that such a category exists and is well defined and has a meaningful history, the basis for eligibility is very simple: being female. Any addition of non female athletes is unfair for the reasons already outlined.

@Scienceofsport I deny your premise that the "basis for eligibility is the biological advantage". That was the historical basis for having a separate category in the first place. But...