Scott Barry Kaufman received his Ph.D. in cognitive psychology from Yale University. He is adjunct associate professor at Columbia University and previously held positions at the University of Pennsylvania and New York University. He is also the host of The Psychology Podcast and has written a number of books, including Transcend, Wired to Create (with Carolyn Gregoire), and Ungifted.
Scott Barry Kaufman speaks with Simon Baron-Cohen about Baron-Cohen’s new book, The Pattern Seekers, which makes the case that the same genes that give rise to autism are and have been crucial to humanity’s propensity to invent and innovate.
We’re now understanding what people on the autism spectrum have rather than what they lack.
Our society is deeply conflicted about the source of excellence. On one hand, we are fascinated with child prodigies. On the other hand, we love a good “overcoming adversity” story.
As Asimov declared in his famous 1959 essay on creativity and idea generation, “The world in general disapproves of creativity.”
Artists and scientists throughout history have remarked on the bliss that accompanies a sudden creative insight.