The Science of Evil : On Empathy and the Origins of Cruelty

"Borderline personality disorder, autism, narcissism, psychosis, Asperger's: All of these syndromes have one thing in common--lack of empathy. In some cases, this absence can be dangerous, but in others it can simply mean a different way of seeing the world. In The Science of Evil Simon Baron-Cohen, an award-winning British researcher who has investigated psychology and autism for decades, develops a new brain-based theory of human cruelty. A true psychologist, however, he examines social and environmental factors that can erode empathy, including neglect and abuse. Based largely on Baron-Cohen's own research, The Science of Evil will change the way we understand and treat human cruelty"--Provided by publisher.;Explaining "evil" and human cruelty -- The empathy mechanism : the bell curve -- When zero degrees of empathy is negative -- When zero degrees of empathy is positive -- The empathy gene -- Reflections on human cruelty -- Appendixes: 1. The empathy quotient (EQ) -- Appendix: 2. How to spot zero degrees of empathy (negative). Front Cover......Page 1 Title Page......Page 6 Copyright......Page 7 Dedication......Page 8 Contents......Page 10 Acknowledgments......Page 12 1. Explaining “Evil” and Human Cruelty......Page 16 Turning People into Objects......Page 21 Empathy Erosion Around the Globe......Page 24 2. The Empathy Mechanism: The Bell Curve......Page 30 Measuring Empathy......Page 35 The Empathy Circuit......Page 42 3. When Zero Degrees of Empathy Is Negative......Page 58 Zero-Negative Type B......Page 61 What Causes Type B?......Page 73 Zero-Negative Type P......Page 79 Zero-Negative Type N......Page 103 4. When Zero Degrees of Empathy Is Positive......Page 110 Asperger Syndrome......Page 111 The Autistic Brain......Page 115 Systemizing......Page 119 Looking for Patterns......Page 123 The Systemizing Mechanism......Page 127 Classic Autism......Page 133 Life Without Zero-Positive?......Page 136 5. The Empathy Gene......Page 140 Twins......Page 143 Genes for Aggression......Page 146 Genes for Emotion Recognition......Page 148 Genes Associated with the EQ......Page 149 Genes Associated with Autistic Traits......Page 154 Stepping Back......Page 155 Other Animals and Empathy......Page 156 6. Reflections on Human Cruelty......Page 162 Notes ......Page 163 Outstanding Puzzles......Page 168 Rethinking Psychiatry......Page 172 The Banality of Evil......Page 178 The Underactive Empathy Circuit......Page 185 The Potential for Change......Page 188 Super-empathy?......Page 192 Empathy as an Underutilized Resource......Page 198 Appendix 1: The Empathy Quotient (EQ)......Page 202 Appendix 2: How to Spot Zero Degrees of Empathy (Negative)......Page 212 CHAPTER 2......Page 216 CHAPTER 3......Page 218 CHAPTER 5......Page 219 CHAPTER 6......Page 220 APPENDIX 2......Page 221 References ......Page 222 Index ......Page 246 An award-winning psychologist draws on years of research to unveil#160;a#160;simple but persuasive hypothesis for a new way to think about evil.#160;#8213; New York Times#160; How can we explain both cruelty and kindness?#160;To award-winning psychologist Simon Baron-Cohen, the#160;explanation for cruelty#160;is#160;low levels#160;of empathy,#160;and the explanation for kindness is high levels of empathy.#160;In#160; The Science of Evil , Baron-Cohen draws on#160;decades of#160;research#160;to develop a new, brain-based theory of human cruelty#160;and kindness. He#160;explores the social and biological factors that can influence our empathy levels, explains the key distinction between cognitive and affective forms of empathy, and shows#160;how#160;low#160;empathy#160;can#160;lead to dehumanizing#160;behavior. Featuring a new introduction by the author,#160; The Science of Evil #160;will continue to challenge our understanding of human cruelty.#160 An award-winning psychologist draws on years of research to unveil “a simple but persuasive hypothesis for a new way to think about evil.” ― New York Times How can we explain both cruelty and kindness? To award-winning psychologist Simon Baron-Cohen, the explanation for cruelty is low levels of empathy, and the explanation for kindness is high levels of empathy. In The Science of Evil , Baron-Cohen draws on decades of research to develop a new, brain-based theory of human cruelty and kindness. He explores the social and biological factors that can influence our empathy levels, explains the key distinction between cognitive and affective forms of empathy, and shows how low empathy can lead to dehumanizing behavior. Featuring a new introduction by the author, The Science of Evil will continue to challenge our understanding of human cruelty. "Borderline personality disorder, autism, narcissism, psychosis, Asperger's : All of these syndromes have one thing in common--lack of empathy. In some cases, this absence can be dangerous, but in others it can simply mean a different way of seeing the world. In The Science of Evil Simon Baron-Cohen, an award-winning British researcher who has investigated psychology and autism for decades, develops a new brain-based theory of human cruelty. A true psychologist, however, he examines social and environmental factors that can erode empathy, including neglect and abuse. Based largely on Baron-Cohen's own research, The Science of Evil will change the way we understand and treat human cruelty"--Résumé de l'éditeur A path-breaking autism researcher explores why some people lack empathy and what that absence means for the psychological understanding of evil A pathbreaking autism researcher explores why some people lack empathy and what that absence means for our psychological understanding of evil