Quote:
Originally Posted by BBB2
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.
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Hmm whoever told me about that failed to mention the bit about developing a moral compass....still though I do feel emotions towards people. Like if someone was upset I wouldn't attempt to comfort them simply because 'its the right thing to do' there would also be the component of feeling bad for them, knowing how it feels to be upset. Or like if someone reacts a certain way I can see why they maybe did so or relate to it isn't that some form of empathy?