Ages ago I took part in a seminar at uni that looked at autism within the context of the philosophy of mind, specifically the old problem of naturally assuming but not being able to prove that others have mental states ("other minds"). The question was that if autism is characterised in part by having difficulties conceptualising other people's mental states, can that tell us anything about how "normal people" do this. I remember "mindblindness" being a term used to characterise autism and Simon Baron-Cohen (not the comedian) drawing some interesting if controversial conclusions regarding ethical responsibility. Back then it seemed fascinating, but also a but like autism research was being instrumentalised by philosophers to liven up age old debates, rather than to help those who have to deal with the condition.
It seems that the debate has moved on since then towards a more inclusive view:
I still think it is important though to hold on to the diagnostic category of autism, while being aware of all the caveats and avoiding stigmatising those falling under it, in order to support those displaying signs of the condition especially children.
Ages ago I took part in a seminar at uni that looked at autism within the context of the philosophy of mind, specifically the old problem of naturally assuming but not being able to prove that others have mental states ("other minds"). The question was that if autism is characterised in part by having difficulties conceptualising other people's mental states, can that tell us anything about how "normal people" do this. I remember "mindblindness" being a term used to characterise autism and Simon Baron-Cohen (not the comedian) drawing some interesting if controversial conclusions regarding ethical responsibility. Back then it seemed fascinating, but also a but like autism research was being instrumentalised by philosophers to liven up age old debates, rather than to help those who have to deal with the condition.
It seems that the debate has moved on since then towards a more inclusive view:
https://www.thetransmitter.org/spectrum/theory-of-mind-in-autism-a-research-field-reborn/
https://embrace-autism.com/autism-and-theory-of-mind-whats-new/#:~:text=Theory%20of%20mind%20(ToM)%20refers,of%20our%20social%20communication%20struggles.
I still think it is important though to hold on to the diagnostic category of autism, while being aware of all the caveats and avoiding stigmatising those falling under it, in order to support those displaying signs of the condition especially children.