In the article, Baron-Cohen distinguishes between lean interpretations of animal behavior which can understand and learn from rules in an instrumental way, and rich interpretations of behaviors that demonstrate an awareness of other minds and the ability to manipulate others through deception.
He writes:
If what other animals are doing when they appear to be dishonest is not real deception, this begs the question of what counts as real deception. True deception assumes the deceiver knows that (1) other beings have minds, (2) different beings’ minds can believe different things are true (when only one of these is actually true), and (3) you can make another mind believe that something false is actually true. Defined in this way, one can see that deception is no trivial achievement! The deceiver needs to have the mental equipment to juggle different representations of reality. No wonder that scholars of animal behavior are wary of elevating a single instance of behavior to genuine deception, and prefer to reduce it to simpler mental processes like learned associations.In human beings this rich ability to understand and deceive can be seen even in very small children. What's interesting is that people with autism and Asperger's syndrome don't seem to have this capacity at all. They have great awareness of their own experiences and beliefs, and have tremendous talents and mental abilities, but they cannot see into the minds of others.
From one perspective, I would say that this ability to empathize is essential to our core humanity and our ability to tell stories and learn from others. If one definition of storytelling is the lie that tells the truth, then empathy and deception are really at its core. We are fascinated by stories that allow us to see into the minds of others, to understand their motivations, inner conflicts, and desires. Many of our greatest writers, from Shakespeare to Jane Austen to Henry James to Leo Tolstoy have dramatized this particularly rich capacity by giving us clues into the inner workings of their characters as well as showing how characters manipulate and deceive each other through word and action.
More generously, Baron-Cohen concludes:
The unique qualities of human intelligence are characterized not just by the capacity for mind-reading (and deception), which has enabled humans to work in coordinated activity unusually well, but also by the capacity to systemize, which has enabled humans to understand how things work, and to develop innovative technology par excellence. People with autism, who can perceive patterns better and concentrate better than their peers, are also more honest.What this distinction really highlights is that the differences in people are complimentary and interrelated. One quality allows us to empathize and understand things passionately, the other quality allows us to organize and see things with cool objectivity. For me, these are important things to remember when trying to understand human nature in general and how to write and understand characters specifically.
Great article and interesting insights.
