The Science of Evil

On Empathy and the Origins of Cruelty

By: Simon Baron-Cohen

Narrated by: Jonathan Cowley

Length: 4 hrs and 57 mins

Publisher's summary

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.

©2011 Simon Baron-Cohen (P)2011 Tantor

Critic reviews

"Baron-Cohen's professorial background shines through in the book's tone and in step-by-step, engaging prose urging both academic and lay reader alike to journey with him in scientific inquiry." ( Publishers Weekly)

Two major problems with this

Interesting book, yes. But in my view there are two major problems, one with the science, one with an assertion he spent too much time trying to explain. First the science…the irony of literally torturing animals to study empathy is so lost to this man it’s alarming. It made me wonder if it was his own lack of empathy that drove his interest in this topic to begin with. Some of the tests he blandly described were so cruel I had to skip through. Second problem was listening to him make excuses for Adolf Eichman, suggesting he may have had something like Aspergers. And he extended the notion to many of the Nazis, because at trial they said they were “just following orders”, and following orders is a trait of ASD. Never mind that they all said that to divert responsibility for their crimes. He also suggested that an ASD guy was not culpable for assaulting a woman. But what can you expect from Psychologists who say animal torture is a sign of psychopathy, then turn around and contrive horrifically cruel situations to throw an animal into, some of them baby animals, then shock the hell out of the poor thing to see what it will do. I hate that I wasted a few hours of my life listening to this guy. The narrator was excellent though.

Good, until the end

The author presents the scientific, brain-based view of lack of empathy as the source for various personality disorders, some of which are associated with cruelty and mistreatment of others. He differentiates positive and negative types of zero empathy. This helped put a realistic view on the concept of "evil", away from a religious definition, which is nebulous at best.

His polemic at the end was unnecessary and detracted from the scientific basis for the book.

Lacks useful advice

I was hoping this book to be about spotting sociopaths, or at least showing how they think, not quite.

The author is certainly a specialist on the subject, but his objective with this book is to make the general public aware of the need of a better way to classify sociopaths on the DSM, with empathy as reference. And that's about it.

I understand that some people might find this kind of subject interesting but I think that if I can't use what I read in a practical way it's not.

It was okay

I had a hard copy of the book and some things that where in the book weren’t oh the audio version but overall it was good

Inspiring

This book gave me hope that there may one day be a world in which helping others and caring about their needs is smiled upon and accepted as the proper way to do things. Well researched and well read, while also being simplified and condensed very well. A must read for anyone who seeks to make the world more peaceful or seeks to understand the roadblocks to peace that currently inhabit the world.

Fascinating information but ...

This was a very interesting book, and the reader was quite good. But I have to wonder if this is an appropriate book for reading aloud, chiefly because it's impossible to keep track of all of the various bits of brain while listening. The discussion of the bits of brain involved in evil cry out for diagrams and of course that's not possible. I would like a diagram simply because when I read other books on the science of evil, I would like to be able to keep track of the bits other authors say do this or that. Science is better with pictures.

Interesting

For how short this book is it’s pack with some good knowledge
Give it a listen

A fine primer...

for the neurological and psychological basis of "non-empathetic" behavior. Baron-Cohen does a fine job in describing the diathesis mode of approach to those who go through the world unable to experience or understand normal human feelings of empathy and the sorts of sensitivity toward one another that most of us take more or less for granted. By employing the medical model, he forces a redefinition of what has formerly been termed "evil," redefining it "non-empathetic." Obviously, those who are narcissistic, borderline or psychopathic are on the negative end of this scale, as they range from simply annoying to out and out life-threatening, though Baron-Cohen also explores the positive end of the spectrum in the way of autistics and those with Asperger's syndrome (a disorder along the autistic spectrum), who are not only usually nonviolent but who are often creative and supra-moral. An interesting, informative and well-put together read.

Some interesting premises

This is a book that explores the phenomena of evil as the inability to feel empathy. The science bits of it devolve into nonsense syllables: aerograms put together into a system I believe only applies to this man's theory.
But it does discuss unsocial and dangerous people in light of the limitations of their illnesses. I did find that helpful.
I don't agree with him that the inability to empathize is all of anti social behavior. It's a puzzle piece among other puzzle pieces. But it is a piece.

Prefect for interest in psychology or empathy

Loved it, so interesting and a really valuable way to rethink the whole idea of evil.