562. What Do We Actually Know About Autism? Sir Simon Baron-Cohen

Dr. Jordan B. Peterson speaks with psychologist and autism researcher Dr. Simon Baron-Cohen about the nature of empathy, systemizing, and the neurological basis of autism. This needed conversation explores how humans develop theory of mind, the differences between cognitive and affective empathy, and why some individuals gravitate toward systems over social interaction. They discuss the evolutionary roots of invention, gender differences in cognition, and how autistic traits relate to creativity and pattern recognition. Unflinchingly, they also discuss the darker side of empathy deficits—including psychopathy and cruelty—raising urgent questions about compassion, human development, and our capacity for evil. Professor of Psychology and Psychiatry at the University of Cambridge, Simon Baron-Cohen is Director of the Autism Research Centre and a global leader in autism research. He pioneered the 'mindblindness' and 'empathizing-systemizing' theories, has authored over 770 scientific papers, and was knighted in 2021 for his contributions to autism understanding. His work spans clinical practice, public education, and cutting-edge research on cognitive sex differences, empathy, and neurodiversity. This episode was filmed on July 5th, 2025 | Links | For Simon Baron-Cohen: On X Read Dr. Baron-Cohen’s most recent book, as discussed in the show, “The Pattern Seekers: How Autism Drives Human Invention” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

You can listen to 562. What Do We Actually Know About Autism? Sir Simon Baron-Cohen online on Radio and Podcast. Open the player on this page to stream the available audio.

562. What Do We Actually Know About Autism? Sir Simon Baron-Cohen is an episode from The Jordan B. Peterson Podcast by DailyWire+.

This episode is 103:25 long.

This episode was published on Jul 14, 2025.

Yes. Use the heart button on the episode page to add it to your favorite episodes list.

Yes. This page shows related episodes from The Jordan B. Peterson Podcast when more episodes are available from the podcast feed.