The Science of Evil: On Empathy and the Origins of Cruelty Simon Baron-Cohen Borderline personality disorder. Psychopathy. Narcissism. Autism and Asperger Syndrome. The people who exhibit these conditions have one thing in common: lack of empathy. In some cases, this can lead to dangerous scenarios (think of the Columbine High School tragedy), but in others it can simply mean a different way of interpreting our world (like Kim Peek who inspired the film Rainman). So what causes the inability to empathize in the first place? And what exactly happens when we lose - or never posses - a desire to understand or care how other people feel? In The Science of Evil Simon Baron-Cohen, an award-winning psychologist who has been investigating autism for decades, offers a new brain-based theory of human cruelty. […] Baron-Cohen drills down into the neuroscience and brain anatomy of humans, outlining how the so-called empathy circuit functions in our brains. The malfunctioning of that circuit, he explains, underlies the absence of empathy. But what separates the unusual behavior, such as that seen in people with autism, from the vicious behavior of a psychopath? Baron-Cohen argues that the important factors are not just biological, but social and environmental, too, including parental neglect, abuse, and the experience of profound distrust. Drawing on Baron-Cohen's own research into autism and empathy, The Science of Evil provides a critical look at the science of compassion, and calls for major change in the way we think about, and even treat, human cruelty. Simon Baron-Cohen is a Professor of Developmental Psychopathology in the departments of Experimental Psychology and Psychiatry at the University of Cambridge. He is the director of the University's Autism Research Centre […] He has also won the McAndless Award from the American Psychological Association. His previous books include The Essential Difference and Mindblindness. […]