We have always struggled to explain why some people behave in the most evil way imaginable while others are completely self-sacrificing. Is it possible that
- rather than thinking in terms of good & evil
- all of us instead lie somewhere on the empathy spectrum & our position on that spectrum can be affected by both genes & our environments? Why do some people treat others as objects? Why is empathy our most precious resource? & does a lack of it always mean a negative outcome? From the Nazi concentration camps of World War Two to the playgrounds of today Simon Baron-Cohen examines empathy cruelty & understanding in this fascinating & challenging new look at what exactly makes our behaviour uniquely human.