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). 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. A groundbreaking and challenging examination of the social, cognitive, neurological, and biological roots of psychopathy, cruelty, and evil Borderline personality disorder, autism, narcissism, psychosis: 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. "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