Philosophy and Aspergers Syndrome

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I wrote a big paper on Philosophy - which in a way, reflects Wittgensteins TLP. Many people have laughed in my face, like it is nonsense. Yet people have marvelled at it, and I believe it's my AS side responsible for my Philosophical tendencies.

Yeah, could be I suppose. What did you say in it?

I showed it to a friend who has AS, and he said it looked like it was made by someone with Autism. But I was disecting things and making aphorisms and sh*tloads of propositions.

Im also very philosophical, and have AS, and yes i do think theres a link. i also have a possible explanation for that link, that i think i mite have mentioned in a post sumwere else on this site. i think that becos we dont lern by example as efficantly as nts, we dont take for granted idias that most peeple do, and are therefore more able to come to our own conclusions.

I think some of the people with Asperger's think philosophically because some of their brain areas that make them think philosophically aren't 'disabled' by the 'social brain area'.

The social brain area which works in most "NT"s brains, and makes their communication different to "ours".

I think, because I always felt a bit baffled by group identity and the social aspects of most peoples lives, the tendancy to adopt an "above the battle" attitude has forced me to ask more questions. I don't get better answers, although they are often different. It often seems to me that you have to take a slightly more philosophical view, have to work things out from first principles, if you have a different understanding of the social side of things. I think in general it is a pretty positive thing.

I think abnormal talent in any given area is heavily linked to the Autism Spectrum. Like savant skills.

I read a research article I got from a professional journal about that. Wish I could post it here but I really don't feel like typing THAT many pages.

There is definitely a link between philosophy and AS. Maybe we just think too much.

lol

Wow, only ten postings on this topic! Of course there is a relationship for the reasons you all have mentioned. Aspies lack an intuitive understanding of the world. We have no choice but to think and to try to think logically.

I am very philosophical. I agree with Bobby1933 that not having an intuitive understanding of the social warld forces us to be philosophical.

I call myself a "critical empiricist," I am also a materialist/physicalist, a weak emergentist, and a nominalist.

Critical Empiricism: A statement about the nature of reality must be falsifiable or else it is meaningless (a fusion of Wittgenstein and Popper).

Materialism: all reality is bound by the same set of physical laws, there is no higher "supernatural" reality where physical laws don't apply, or if there is it's existance can never be tested.

Weak Emergence: The universe is composed of physical laws and the fundamental physical objects governed by those laws, but there are also emergent complex systems based on the interactions of those fundamental physical objects.

Nominalism: Only particular objects exist, classes of objects are inventions of sapient beings.



My major philosophical influences are Epicurus, Hume, Dennett, Quine, Wittgenstein, Kant, and Popper (the last 3 probably had AS).

I think that aspergers is a gift when it comes to philosophy. It's probable we see things in a way that NT's can't.

Phreedom to Philosophize topic

Pure Aspie. Pataphilososphical probing. Endless, infinitesimal analysis. Navel gazing? Deeper and deeper investigations. Burrowing inside, like Kafka, like Wittgenstein.

You young people are so fortunate to have so many years left to do this.

Sometimes a lifetime is not long enough. A billion years would be better to my liking, to think and think and think and pore, then ponder and ponder. I would never get sore. To think and think, with no end, no core, no beginning, no boundaries, no limits, and think more!