562. What Do We Actually Know About Autism? | Sir Simon Baron-Cohen
7/14/20251 hr 37 min
Dr. Jordan B. Peterson speaks with psychologist and autism researcher Dr. Simon Baron-Cohen about the nature of empathy, systemizing, and the neurological basis of autism. This needed conversation explores how humans develop theory of mind, the differences between cognitive and affective empathy, and why some individuals gravitate toward systems over social interaction. They discuss the evolutionary roots of invention, gender differences in cognition, and how autistic traits relate to creativity and pattern recognition. Unflinchingly, they also discuss the darker side of empathy deficits—including psychopathy and cruelty—raising urgent questions about compassion, human development, and our capacity for evil.
Clips
Transcript preview
First 90 secondsSpeaker 10:00
(upbeat music) At Firestone Complete Auto Care, we hold our service to the highest standard. That's why we have thousands of ASE-certified expert technicians nationally. So if you're looking for car service that's got your back on the road, choose the place that treats every car like their own and every customer like family. Don't wait any longer. Call your local Firestone Complete Auto Care and book your next appointment today.
Jordan B. Peterson· Host0:26
One of the things we might want to do is lay out the cardinal features of autism. How would you characterize autism?
Simon Baron-Cohen· Guest0:37
Autism isn't just a single thing. There are multiple dimensions to autism, multiple factors.
Jordan B. Peterson· Host0:44
The fact that it's a multidimensional disorder risks obscuring its central features.
Simon Baron-Cohen· Guest0:49
If we just focus on the things that they have challenges with, it's like a deficit model. If we recognize that brains develop differently, and that some brains focus more on systems than they do on people, there's growing evidence that autistic people are better than non-autistic people at understanding systems, at pattern recognition, which is obviously a great asset in a lot of different environments.
Jordan B. Peterson· Host1:14
(upbeat music) Hello, everybody.