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Old Jan 31, 2015, 05:27 AM
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BBB2 BBB2 is offline
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Member Since: Oct 2014
Location: United Kingdom
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Hellion View Post
Not to change the topic but isn't Baron-Cohen the one that claimed autistics are essentially like psychopaths if not even more lacking in empathy? If so I'd say maybe things he says should be taken with a bucket of salt...even if he is smart.
Yes. Here is a link to an email interview (from 2011) about his book The Science of Evil, which also discusses autism. An Interview With Simon Baron-Cohen On Zero-Empathy, Autism, And Accountability

Here is a key quote:
The key difference seems to be that in psychopaths the 'cognitive' component of empathy is intact but the 'affective' component is not. In autism, both components may be impaired, or just the cognitive component. But their strong systemizing leads them, through powerful logic, to develop a moral code based on 'fairness' and 'justice'. Psychopaths lack the moral compass that most people develop using their empathy, and lack the moral compass that people with autism develop using their strong systemizing. People with autism spectrum conditions often end up as 'super-moral', developing a set of rules they expect people to live up to consistently (such as honesty), arriving at the conclusion that one should 'treat others as you would have others treat you' because it is the most logical approach.