The Pattern Seekers

September 14, 2020
Drawing on more than three decades of research, Baron-Cohen (The Science of Evil), director of Cambridge University’s Autism Research Centre, presents an intriguing “new theory of human invention.” He contends that human brains have an “engine” he calls the “Systemizing Mechanism,” which “seeks out if-and-then patterns.” Strongest in people drawn to certain fields, such as science, music, and law, where precision and detail are crucial, the mechanism is also a hallmark of people with autism. To buttress his theory, he shares research demonstrating that “autistic people, those in STEM, and other hyper-systemizers” share systemizing genes. Developing that capacity, he concludes, was a landmark in human evolution, enabling the invention of complex tools and separating humans from all other species. Baron-Cohen isn’t always convincing that human cognition is innately different from that of other highly intelligent animals, such as crows, elephants, and other primates, which, as he acknowledges, also evince theory of mind, as well as problem-solving and tool-using skills. Nonetheless, his 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.

September 15, 2020
A thoughtful argument that creativity shares many of the same traits as autism. Psychologist Baron-Cohen, director of the Autism Research Centre at Cambridge, begins with two case studies: a well-known genius and inventor who left home at age 16 and a genuinely brilliant man who lived with his mother into his 30s. The author maintains that humans alone possess a specific "engine in the brain," the "Systemizing Mechanism," which seeks out if-and-then patterns in the environment. Seeing one, it asks a question ("if"), considers how it might change ("and"), and then predicts a consequence ("then"). The best "systemizers" repeat this process dozens or even hundreds of times (i.e., experiment) to ensure that the pattern holds true. If confirmed, the result is a discovery or a creation. Though scientific, this process is also essential in mastering an art, craft, sport, or profession. Hypersensitive to patterns, autistic brains often get stuck in an if-and-then loop. Baron-Cohen adds "another game-changing mechanism," the "Empathy Circuit," which allows us to relate closely to someone else's thoughts and feelings. Dealing with others is almost impossible without this "theory of mind," which hyper-systemizers lack. The author participated in a large study that revealed five human brain types. About a third are mostly empathizers, a third systemizers, and a third show an equal balance between the two. At the extremes, a few percent are hyper-empathizers and hyper-systemizers, the latter dominated by geniuses and the autistic. Baron-Cohen also includes portraits of high-achieving autistics, both known (Thomas Edison, Bill Gates, and Albert Einstein) and anonymous. Readers curious about how they measure up can take a similar survey in the appendix. Although the author pleads for understanding, this is not a self-help book but rather an account of how systemizers drive human progress. He also briefly discusses how "we can bring hyper-systemizing into education." Insightful and mostly convincing.

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