Summary of Simon Baron-Cohen's The Science of Evil

Everest Media

Description

Please note: This is a companion version & not the original book.
Sample Book Insights:
#1 The paradox at the heart of human nature is that people can objectify others, but they also have a natural sympathy for others that they can switch off.
#2 The question of how humans can be so cruel is still unanswered. The answers that are available are not satisfying. If the answers were sufficient, the question would feel as if it had been answered and the matter settled.
#3 The concept of evil is inadequate to explain the actions of Nazis like Hitler. It is a mere explanation, and we need a better one. I explore how people can treat each other cruelly not with reference to the concept of evil, but with reference to the concept of empathy.
#4 Empathy erosion is the process of turning other people into objects, and it is done when we are solely focused on our own interests. It is one of the worst things you can do to another person, to ignore their subjectivity and thoughts.

Sujets

• General
• Psychology
• General officer
• Psychopathology
• Sociologie, société et politique

Informations

• Publié par: Everest Media LLC
• Date de parution: 11 mai 2022
• Nombre de lectures: 1
• EAN13: 9798822505131
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 1 Mo

Extrait

Insights on Simon Baron-Cohen's The Science of Evil
Contents Insights from Chapter 1 Insights from Chapter 2 Insights from Chapter 3 Insights from Chapter 4 Insights from Chapter 5 Insights from Chapter 6
Insights from Chapter 1

#1

The paradox at the heart of human nature is that people can objectify others, but they also have a natural sympathy for others that they can switch off.

#2

The question of how humans can be so cruel is still unanswered. The answers that are available are not satisfying. If the answers were sufficient, the question would feel as if it had been answered and the matter settled.

#3

The concept of evil is inadequate to explain the actions of Nazis like Hitler. It is a mere explanation, and we need a better one. I explore how people can treat each other cruelly not with reference to the concept of evil, but with reference to the concept of empathy.

#4

Empathy erosion is the process of turning other people into objects, and it is done when we are solely focused on our own interests. It is one of the worst things you can do to another person, to ignore their subjectivity and thoughts.

#5

At the end of our journey, there should be less of a nagging need for answers to the big question of understanding human cruelty. The mind should be quieted if the answers are beginning to feel satisfying.

#6

Empathy is a state of mind that can be found in any culture. When you treat someone as an object, your empathy has been turned off. When you turn another person into an object, your empathy has been turned off.

#7

The next example of empathy erosion is a report on BBC’s Newsnight program. On July 24, 2002, rebel soldiers entered the Ugandan village of Pajong. Esther Rechan, a young mother, recalls what happened next: her 2 year old was kicked to death by the rebels.

#8

The author describes several examples of human cruelty, from the Congo to the United States, and explains that these acts are the result of no empathy. He then asks two basic questions: What is empathy, and why do some people have less than others.
Insights from Chapter 2

#1

Empathy is the key to understanding why some people are considered to be evil or cruel. We all lie somewhere on an empathy spectrum, from high to low. People at the extreme of the empathy spectrum are simply considered to be evil or cruel.

#2

Empathy is the ability to recognize what someone else is thinking or feeling and to respond to their thoughts and feelings with an appropriate emotion. It requires not only that you can identify another person’s feelings and thoughts, but that you respond to these with an appropriate emotion.