Simon Baron-Cohen was always aware that he was wading into divisive territory. He writes near the start of The Essential Difference that he delayed finishing it for years because he thought the topic was too politically sensitive. He makes the defense often made by scientists when they’re publishing work that might be interpreted as sexist—that science shouldn’t shy away from the truth, however uncomfortable it is. It’s a claim that runs all the way through work by people who claim to see sex differences. Objective research, they say, is objective research.
