Biologism

Biologism refers to the transfer of biological terms, models, or standards to social, cultural, and societal contexts where they are inappropriate or overly reductive. Complex phenomena such as gender, sexuality, behavior, intelligence, family, or social roles are often reduced one-sidedly to supposedly natural, genetic, hormonal, or evolutionary causes.

A biologistic view of gender, for example, claims that there are only two clearly separate sexes and that gendered behaviors are directly determined by biology. This ignores influences such as upbringing, socialization, culture, power relations, and individual experience. Such simplification also does not necessarily reflect the current state of biological research, which describes sex, bodily traits, and development in much more complex terms.

Biologisms are often used to make social inequalities or prejudices appear scientifically grounded. Queerphobic, misogynistic, racist, ableist, or other discriminatory ideas can thus be presented as “natural” or “unchangeable.” The problem is not biology as a science, but its reductive, selective, or ideological use to justify social norms and hierarchies.