Quote:
How can someone not want knowledge?
I don't think the human brain is designed for seeking knowledge. It's programmed for survival and survival doesn't require extensive knowledge of "useless" things. Why bother knowing anything about medicine because there are doctors for that. Why bother about math because there are engineers. Why bother knowing anything about computer because "there are aspies around to fix them". (I have a feeling that this sounds sarcastic but I'm not sure.)
I think NTs are constantly seeking for knowledge but their view of knowledge may not be the same as yours. NTs may gather social knowledge. Casual conversations, gossip, pointless chatter (at least for many autistic people), sharing feelings etc may be the same as "knowledge".
The austistic mind may be defect and it may seek for extensive knowledge without any purpose. It may sound good to be able to soak in information, but is it really necessary? Sometimes but now always. Even in science and in the academic world this kind of behaviour may not be optimal because there is too much information. By being addicted to seeking knowledge and obsessed over information you may spent (or waste) time on things that are not important.
Or maybe knowledge and information just don't stimulate the NT brain and thus they may find it boring. Neurochemistry is often the explanation to every human behaviour. This may not sound very insightful but the reality is most likely "dull, concrete and controlled by chemistry".
Myself, I'm addicted to information and research too and I cannot understand this behaviour of not wanting knowledge that you are discussing.
Quote:
As a BAP person (I assume),
Btw, what is a "BAP person"? I'm sorry, this is totally unrelated to the topic but I need to know the answer. When I google the term it say "black american princess" (or something else that makes even less sense). Otherwise the only BAP I know is British Association for Psychopharmacology.
I agree that for NTs any knowledge they seek or take on-board usually needs to be of direct use to them and as they are predominantly social beings, social information is going to be the most relevant to them. NTs seem to have their 'eye on the main chance' all the time ie they rarely do anything that doesn't have a strategic purpose aimed at bettering their own position in life, whether socially or materially and both are directly related as the more people you are on good terms with, the greater the opportunities for gaining an advantage over others eg via a job or being friends with a powerful/rich/successful person and sharing in their benefits. This very quality is what makes me dislike NTs as it's like they ruthlessly assessing everyone and everything to see what use they can make of them. It makes perfect evolutionary sense as it's always going to be people who can make the best use of opportunities and resources who have the best chance of survival. In a post-apocalypse society, who is going to survive? - the person with an encyclopaedic knowledge of cloud formations or the one who can make friends with the local war lord? Hence skill in the social arena will always be more advantageous than pure knowledge as a survival skill in my opinion.
We obviously need knowledge to improve society via discoveries and inventions but this only usually comes into play when society is civilised enough; NT skills are far more adaptable to any eventuality hence they will always have the edge on us in my opinion. Ultimately we both need each other though I'd say. We need them for protection and they need us for ideas/knowledge.
08 Sep 2012, 2:39 am
