The Red Knob

There are times when The Red Knob mission to open up the field of sexual health education seems like a clip from an old Paul Whitehouse Fast show – the one where the woman comes up with the bright idea to fix something whilst a group of men completely ignore her – then come up with the same bright idea themselves; only in The Red Knob’s case we’re still waiting for someone else to concur – even if we are ignored – but hey what do we care?

Our issue, if we wish to consider it that way, is the discipline and incumbent ideology behind much of the guidance for sexual health education work in the UK – Sociology – and the consideration that other approaches are given scant credence in the guidance literature available to practitioners – hence many practitioners are unaware of other possible approaches. We need a science-based approach to be added to the sociological canon of sex education work. Are we are the only people who have considered this? Browsing through some old (2006) copies of New Scientist the other day I came across the following quote from Frans de Waal, Professor of Primate Behaviour at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia, US of A:

… we need a deeper understanding of human nature, and this can be achieved only if the social sciences replace their ideology-laden, fragmented approach with objective science grounded in a unitary theory of behaviour. There is only one such theory around, which is why I predict that 50 years from now every psychology and sociology department will have Darwin’s portrait on the wall.

Professor de Waal was commenting on the progress and shaping of human societies – not sex education, but whether it is other human behaviours or sex and dealing with the health outcomes and risks of sex – the practical application of sound science has to be considered and incorporated into current thinking if we are to progress.

Ars sine scienta nihil est!

Filed under: Op Ed, Red Knob