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)

New take on a fascinating subject (i.e. evil)

Any additional comments?

Novel take on empathy, particularly for those of us who have studied psychology and are familiar with the disorders he's referring to. I had never thought of borderlines as lacking in empathy before -- I work with quite a few of them -- and it's a point of view worth considering. Not so sure that it adequately covers the subject of evil, though -- or perhaps it's just that it takes the punch out. If you want to get back on steady footing, watch Ted Bundy's swan song interview where he blames his crimes on the proliferation of pornography, saying he was just an

Powerful Information!

A must book when trying to understanding where evil comes from. Very insightful. Powerful message about empathy.

All About Empathy

Interesting book, however it was all about the psychology of empathy and not much on evil.

very interesting, excellent reading

Would you listen to The Science of Evil again? Why?

I might, because there was a lot of detail in places. There is a long section about which brain regions are responsible for empathy, which was hard to keep track of in an audio format if you're interested in that kind of thing.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Science of Evil?

There were character studies of people who exhibited particular types of zero-empathy disorders (psychopathy, borderline, narcissism) that were moving and sometimes frightening.

Any additional comments?

This book can really change your way of looking at the world. It's well-argued and well-written. Very rare and fascinating. The reading is also excellent. I recommend it highly.

Juicy, interesting and scientifically sound

Simon Baron Cohen’s fundamental idea is that in order to prevent evil we must first understand its causes. How was Josef Fritzl capable of locking up his own daugter in his basement and then rape her on a daily basis for more than a decade? The typical reaction to this type of story is that Josef Fritzl is an evil man, and he did what he did because he was evil. But what does it mean when you say that someone is evil, and does deeming someone as an evil person have any positive side effects?

These are of course difficult questions and I don’t think that Baron Cohen provides a complete answer to them (which would have been a lot to hope for). What Baron Cohen does claim is that if we want to prevent evil we must first understand it. He further suggests that individuals, such as Fritzl, who commit horrendous acts probably suffers from a lack of empathy, that is a lacking ability to see the world from another persons perspective. Borderline patients, psychopaths and narcissists are three mental disorders that have a common feature, namely zero empathy. In other words they are more or less incapable of seeing the world from another persons perspective and therefore they may not get the same “gut response” when they hear about Fritzl.

Many people lack empathy, but not all of them endorse in “evil”. Other factors such as upbringing and attachments to caregivers can influence whether a person born with deficient empathy becomes an offender or learns how to follow the rules of society despite lacking some of the intuitions that derives from having empathy.

Simon Baron Cohen’s expertize lies in the field of autism which is another mental dissorders characterized by a lack of empathy. Individuals that have a autism spectrum dissorder (this category includes those with asperger syndrome), also behave in ways that reveal a lack of empathy, however, they are often good at systematizing, that is seeing relationships between various variables in the world. Because of this special ability they have benefited the world in many ways

Rather than deeming individuals evil, we should try to understand why evil acts are committed. To look at people with a severe lack of empathy is a good and plausibly fruitful starting point for such an endeavour.

Simon Baron Cohen, is a terrific writer with the ability to convey complex ideas and complex research findings in an accessible and easy to understand way. This book as well as “The essential difference” show that this is indeed the case.

Possibly the best book I've ever read/heard...?

Learned so much about myself & others from this informative work. Thank you, Simon Baron-Cohen!

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.

detailed, intelligently presented and interesting

if you are interested in the why people do what they do aspect of life, this is an interesting take on the definition of evil and what may make them fall into this category. i don't agree that evil is equated with a lake of empathy, but Baron-Cohen has a compelling argument and research to back it up. He has done a good job of guiding you through what makes people lack empathy and what the impacts of it are in their lives/actions.

Very interesting and informative.

Presented a scientific case for evil that gave me a completely new perspective. Nonmember kg tot Togo. Ogle goal rod

Well worth it

Would you listen to The Science of Evil again? Why?

Probably. To retain some of the details.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Made me think, which is no doubt more important.

Any additional comments?

The subject is an extremely important one that touches us all.