Simon Baron-Cohen: The Science of Evil

History is full of cruelty- is there a person alive who hasn’t at some point been treated with gross insensitivity or even downright meanness by another?

Today, as a result of cutting edge neuroscience and social science, we know more about what causes people to act in hurtful ways than at any prior time in human history. And for this two-hour WBAI fund-drive special, we are pleased to present the work of one of the world’s foremost authorities on the subject, Professor of Developmental Psychopathology in the departments of Psychology and Psychiatry at the University of Cambridge, Dr. Simon Baron Cohen.

Arguing that we explain nothing by describing acts of cruelty as “evil,” Dr. Cohen’s work demonstrates that cruelty can be traced to a distinct psychological state – a lack of empathy. Borderline personality disorder, narcissism, psychopathology, autism, and Asperger’s disorder: all of these syndromes result from a lack of empathy. Dr. Cohen backs up his claims with a wealth of research from developmental psychology, psychiatry, neuroscience and genetics.