The views of Simon Baron-Cohen have been discussed in a previous thread. He talks about many more things in an interview here: http://healthland.time.com/2011/05/3...ience-of-evil/

Empathy is key concept as Baron-Cohen talks about the role it plays in a number of disorders including Austism, Aspergers, Borderline Personality Disorder, Antisocial Personality Disorder and Psychopathy.

I posted in this form because it could fit in a number of other ones. Posting here would seem to avoid some repetition.

The interview is I think informative. The subject matter remains controversial.