is this really what you think about when readign "being human"? I could never have imagined those replies. That's interesting but I was not really thinking like that at all.
I was thinking more about morality. You did bring up the fact that we humans can reason (I am not sure if people with serious issue in the brain can do that but I am no expert in that field). I was thinking more in terms of moral reasoning.
We, in my opinion, often avoid moral issues and say that it is taboo to talk about certain subjects/topics. Many people get screwd up or very bad at morality. We never really learn how to examine ourselves and reality. When you focus on on the fundamentals and the details you can get very good at something. What can be more important than the moral life? Some say that aspies are very bad at morality and I say: so aspies will end up in hell???
We might be bad at dealing ith emotions but I have never experienced that we are bad at think about morality. What aspergers can do is helping us to go deeper into reality and become deeply spiritual people. We get caught up in our daily lives and forget about the big issues.
I was once told by a Priest that aspergers could make me a deep person. This sounds promising. Sadly, I am still not there yet.
If we get back to your original post,...the topic of central coherence,...and human morality. Wikipedia,..."
The weak central coherence theory (WCC), also called the central coherence theory (CC), suggests that a specific perceptual-cognitive style, loosely described as a limited ability to understand context or to "see the big picture", underlies the central disturbance in autism and related autism spectrum disorders. Autism is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by impaired social interaction and communication, as well as repetitive behaviours and restricted interests.
The weak central coherence theory attempts to explain how some people diagnosed with autism can show remarkable ability in subjects like mathematics and engineering, yet have trouble with language skills and tend to live in an isolated social world. The theory is among the more prominent conceptual models that try to explain the abnormalities of autistic individuals on tasks involving local and global cognitive processes.
Uta Frith, of University College London, first advanced the weak central coherence theory in the late 1980s.[1] Frith surmised that autistic people typically think about things in the smallest possible parts. Her hypothesis is that autistic children actually perceive details better than neurotypical people,[2][3] but "cannot see the wood for the trees.""
Ok,...I would suggest that this hypothesis does fit the description of the autistic child, better than the neurotypical child. However, I am not sure that correctly fits the description of a more socially mature adult Aspie. The fact that we are even having this discussion tends to negate this theory, as it pertains to adults on the spectrum. Having said that, I do think, as adult Aspies, we focus upon the details of things more than an adult neurotypical,...initially. As eluded to earlier, the difference between a novice and an expert within the workforce or profession,...the expert will have the ability to actually see many possible outcomes, to see the forest through the trees, to anticipate, to have multiple plans (plan A, B, and C) depending upon future variables. Both neurotypicals and those with an ASD can become experts and function at this level. What you have pointed out was rather the pathways towards becoming an expert may be different,...the neurotypical tending to
initially learn how to "do" and "follow direction",...whereas, the person with an ASD may,
intially, get frustratingly bogged down in all the questions and details. At some point, though, there is a convergence and expertise is achieved.
How does this apply to the "moral human" as it pertains to neurotypicals and autistics? I would also suggest that the process is similar to what was described above,...the pathways may be different initially, but over time, the results may be similar. As a child, we are told what to do, what is right and wrong, proper social manners, etc. Often times, when a small child asks their parents, "Why?" it is met with "Because I said so!". Not helpful, but a small child might not fully comprehend "why" and the parent may find themselves tied up in a lengthy discussion that may only lead to more and more questions,...and parents are impatient and just want the child to comply. Again, intellectual laziness. For the child with an ASD, this type of parental behavior simply is not acceptable, leading to a lot of frustration and emotional distress,...whereas the neurotypical child may be more towards simply complying and not pushing the issue with their parents. As we age and become more socially and emotionally mature, neurotypicals tend to gain understanding of the "hows and whys",...and the autistic,...often having dove into the details much earlier in the process (on their own),...will eventually understand that sometimes you just have to "react and do" in certain circumstances. There is a convergence.
Great discussion, by the way.
