Simon Baron-Cohen's new book 'The Pattern Seekers'
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11 Nov 2020, 5:10 am
This cognitive mechanism, Baron-Cohen says, is particularly strong in innovators in all fields — the arts as well as the sciences — and also in people with autism, two groups that he believes have overlapped throughout history.
It is a bold argument, which he supports with a fair degree of conjecture and evidence marshalled from a range of fields, including archaeology, animal behavior and neuroscience. He concludes with an impassioned call to action for modern society to do a better job of tapping the inventive power of people with autism.
The Pattern Seekers’ spans the full sweep of human history.
Baron-Cohen cites functional magnetic resonance imaging studies suggesting that this systemizing mechanism “depends strongly” on lateral frontoparietal connections in the brain and a region called the intraparietal sulcus.
He insists that the systemizing mechanism is unique to Homo sapiens and devotes an entire chapter to knocking down any suggestion that earlier hominids, including Neanderthals, possessed this capacity, despite their use of simple tools and fire.
Readers who are familiar with Baron-Cohen’s theories and studies of autism will find many of his greatest hits in this latest volume.
Among these ‘hyper-systemizers’ he places historical figures such as Swedish botanist Carl Linneas, inventors Thomas Edison and Nikola Tesla, and modern innovators such as Microsoft founder Bill Gates and pianist Glenn Gould. Also in this category are people with autism, he says.
Although Baron-Cohen does not explicitly label any historic innovators as autistic, he does tell tales about the eccentric social behavior and restricted interests of several of them, particularly Edison, who was so enamored with Morse code that he nicknamed his first two children Dot and Dash.
He calls for a pathway in schools that would allow autistic children to pursue their own narrow interests rather than flounder in a broad but shallow curriculum.
He acknowledges that many people with autism struggle with conditions and disabilities that limit their ability to contribute, but who could argue with his view that far too much talent is going to waste?
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Professionally Identified and joined WP August 26, 2013
DSM 5: Autism Spectrum Disorder, DSM IV: Aspergers Moderate Severity
It is Autism Acceptance Month
“My autism is not a superpower. It also isn’t some kind of god-forsaken, endless fountain of suffering inflicted on my family. It’s just part of who I am as a person”. - Sara Luterman
11 Nov 2020, 9:13 am
I think SBC is just trying to cash in on his experience over the years in the same way Silberman did however he had no experience.
He’s at retirement age so using his name to write some fanciful things in a book looks like a good money spinner, glamourising a disability.
Not sure what both Silberman and SBC are trying to prove really. Autistic people are good at spotting patterns and systemising big deal
When your disabled, can’t work, can’t form relationships or live on your own are they pretending it’s a fair exchange?
They come out with the same nonsense about past long time dead undiagnosed inventors who supposedly had autism but no one is able to identify anyone today or recently who invented anything noteworthy and was diagnosed.
If autistic inventors are really behind human progress where these prominent diagnosed ones today?
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"The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore all progress depends upon the unreasonable man."
- George Bernie Shaw
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21 Dec 2020, 10:44 am
A Conversation About “The Pattern Seekers” by Simon Baron-Cohen
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Katherine Hill: Hi everyone, I'm Katherine Hill for Basic Books, and I'm excited to welcome you to today's conversation about Simon Baron-Cohen's new book, The Pattern Seekers: How Autism Drives Human Invention.
Joining us is Steve Silberman, author of the award-winning NeuroTribes: The Legacy of Autism and the Future of Neurodiversity. Steve's articles have appeared in Wired, New York Times, New Yorker, and many other publications.
Special education advocate Carol Greenburg is also with us today, diagnosed with autism at 44. Carol's understanding of disability is enhanced by her autistic son's daily progress in communicative skills. She is an editor at Thinking Person's Guide to Autism, has spoken at venues throughout the United States, and has written articles for and been interviewed by media outlets, ranging from Family Circle online, to Child Mind Institute, Spectrum, Parents.com, and Neurology Now.
And last, but certainly not least, I'm happy to introduce the author of The Pattern Seekers, Simon Baron-Cohen. Simon is professor of psychology and psychiatry and director of the Autism Research Centre at Cambridge University. He is the author of 600 scientific articles and four books, including The Science of Evil, The Essential Difference and The Pattern Seekers. Please join me in welcoming Simon, Steve, and Carol.
_________________
Professionally Identified and joined WP August 26, 2013
DSM 5: Autism Spectrum Disorder, DSM IV: Aspergers Moderate Severity
It is Autism Acceptance Month
“My autism is not a superpower. It also isn’t some kind of god-forsaken, endless fountain of suffering inflicted on my family. It’s just part of who I am as a person”. - Sara Luterman
22 Dec 2020, 8:00 am
Sadly the same old stuff being peddled out about systemising and autistic traits in STEM people.
Identity politics too nothing that really helps anyone not in the top % of functioning.
The same old tired comparison has been made before with reduced empathy and decisive leadership in politics, military and business among leaders. But nobody would sensibly compare a driven business leader to a serial killer in prison, claiming a link between the two.
Yet we are supposed to link “autistic traits” in those who do not have autism with a serious disability as somehow the same which whitewashes the consequences of our disability.
Neither Silberman or SBC are real scientists since psychology is not a hard science, although SBC does head up the UK main autism research group so should know better.
Maybe he forgot his job title or what he’s being paid to do by the UK taxpayer? that being develop treatments to help autistic people become more functional not dabble in silly politics while enriching himself by writing books to be sold to those who follow this new religion of ND.
Nice earner before he reaches retirement age but not much help to the rest of us
_________________
"The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore all progress depends upon the unreasonable man."
- George Bernie Shaw
23 Dec 2020, 6:08 am
I was going to read it, but deterred by the price, a bit steep considering it's only a bit over 200 pages.
And also because some of SBC's ideas tend to annoy me, so I'm not sure if I would find this inspiring or just annoying.
But interested to hear the thoughts of anyone who's actually read it.
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