[MD] There is a name for what's wrong with you!

[david buchanan]

Steve said:
At least some of what's wrong with us may be captured by the label "amateur philosopher." Apparently, another good term for it is "autism":



dmb says:

Autism does seem to be an extreme form of squareness. It's like a complete lack of romantic sensitivity. I think of it as one of the most telling symptoms of the squareness in our culture. But a truly autistic person is going to make for a very, very bad philosopher. Much more likely, they become a computer programmer or a math wiz. This could be useful in the analytic schools of philosophy but the idea of an autistic artist strikes me as downright comical. Or how about an autistic rock star? Salesman? 

Not to be cruel, but I think we have a few around here. There is a certain tone-deafness to the human dimension that makes it very difficult to have a conversation with those who have autistic tendencies. There is a solipsistic quality to their thinking, or is it just me. (For our Aspy friends, yes, that was a joke.)