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A groundbreaking argument about the link between autism and ingenuity.
Why can humans alone invent? In The Pattern Seekers, Cambridge University psychologist Simon Baron-Cohen makes a case that autism is as crucial to our creative and cultural history as the mastery of fire. Indeed, Baron-Cohen argues that autistic people have played a key role in human progress for seventy thousand years, from the first tools to the digital revolution.
How? Because the same genes that cause autism enable the pattern seeking that is essential to our species’s inventiveness. However, these abilities exact a great cost on autistic people, including social and often medical challenges, so Baron-Cohen calls on us to support and celebrate autistic people in both their disabilities and their triumphs. Ultimately, The Pattern Seekers isn’t just a new theory of human civilization, but a call to consider anew how society treats those who think differently.
Reader Reviews
Praise
"A thoughtful argument that creativity shares many of the same traits as autism.... Insightful."—Kirkus
"Baron-Cohen's work buttresses the case that aspects of autism can be positive, and that thoughtful guidance can channel some with that diagnosis into productive and meaningful work. Readers interested in accessible and innovative looks at the human mind, such as those of Yuval Noah Harari, will be fascinated."
—Publishers Weekly
"Based on massive research,
Simon Baron-Cohen argues that most of us are specialized in how we perceive the
world around us. There are those who focus on people and those who focus on
things. The author makes a compelling case that the second kind of mind -- the
pattern seeker -- is at the root of modern human civilization."—Frans de Waal, C. H. Candler Professor of Primate Behavior at Emory University and author of Mama's
Last Hug
"The Pattern Seekers makes
a significant contribution to the emerging body of literature on
neurodiversity. Simon Baron-Cohen looks at neurodiversity through the lens of
human traits, which stands in refreshing contrast to the current framing of
autism and other developmental disabilities. While those disabilities are real,
Baron-Cohen puts them in an evolutionary context by looking at associated
traits. Baron-Cohen has long been a champion of autistic people and
neurodiversity, and this thought-provoking book is sure to spur much
discussion."
—John Robison, author of Look Me in the Eye
—John Robison, author of Look Me in the Eye
"It's rare to come across a
surprising new idea that explains important phenomena, but Simon Baron-Cohen's
exploration of abstract pattern-seeking in human affairs is one of them. This
book sheds light on one of humanity's most distinctive traits, celebrates human
cognitive diversity, and in contrast with its subject matter, is rich with
empathy and psychological insight."—
Steven Pinker, Johnstone Professor of Psychology at Harvard University and the author of The Language Instinct
"A fascinating account of the mechanisms
underlying the related capacities of both autistic individuals and innovators"—Brian Josephson, Emeritus Professor of Physics at University of
Cambridge and winner of the Nobel Prize in physics
"The
Pattern Seekers is a game-changing book, a passport into
exploring the world of innovation and creativity. Most importantly, it
celebrates autistic people and is a call for action, to welcome
neurodiversity."—David
Joseph, Chairman and CEO of Universal Music UK
"The Pattern Seekers is a book of big ideas and is sure to excite intense
discussion and debate, fueled by Baron-Cohen's lively prose and provoking
stories."—Daniel J. Povinelli, Professor of Biology at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette and author of World Without Weight
"Simon Baron-Cohen, an
internationally acclaimed authority on human brains, has written a
fascinating book that illuminates the 'spectrum' of thinking styles.
After reading it, you'll better understand the personalities of your
friends and colleagues!"—Martin Rees, Emeritus Professor of Cosmology and Astrophysics at the University of Cambridge and author of On the Future
"Simon Baron-Cohen
has written a wildly creative and fascinating book. He takes on one of the
deepest puzzles in cognitive science by asking a simple question: What makes Homo
sapiens so inventive? By combining brain science, evolutionary biology, and
the study of autism, Baron-Cohen provides a unique theory of human cognition.
It is surely one of the most powerful and eye-opening books about the human
mind written this decade."—Andrew N. Meltzoff, co-author of The Scientist in the Crib
"Always years ahead of
others, always bolder in mind and in action than others, Simon Baron-Cohen now
synthesizes a secret of human creativity born out of difference. Where others
saw disability, he saw specialness. Like nature itself, the beauty of the human
mind comes from its diversity."—Ami Klin, Bernie Marcus Distinguished Chair in Autism at Emory
University
"In this ambitious and provocative book, Simon Baron-Cohen goes beyond the usual discussion of 'special gifts' in autism to propose that the diversity of human operating systems has accelerated the advancement of human civilization and culture in ways we can barely imagine."
—Steve Silberman, author of NeuroTribes
"Simon-Baron Cohen is one of
the greatest thinkers and writers today on the subject of autism. In this
erudite new book he explains that autistic people's strongly systematic way of
thinking differently is one of the essential elements in the capacity for invention.
Baron-Cohen explores how obsessively experimenting with patterns and sequences,
whether in music, the visual arts, math, engineering, cooking, or observing the
patterns of the ocean waves, led to new inventions and discoveries. He has
recalibrated the lens through which autism is understood and redefined it as a
rare potentiality, to be valued and celebrated. His bold new idea, that the
genes for autism drove the evolution of human invention, places this disability
center stage in the story of humans. If you have ever wondered why geniuses
spend so much time alone in their sheds, this illuminating book starts to give
us an answer to that question."—Jools Holland, musician
