in defense of autism

It is hardly possible to overrate the value, in the present low state of human improvement, of placing human beings in contact with persons dissimilar to themselves, and with modes of thought and action unlike those with which they are familiar.

~ john stuart mill

autistic people are easily accused of lacking empathy, and in some deeper, indirect ways, lacking humanity. really, few online peeps bother demonstrating empathy and gratitude themselves. when thinking about autism, i try to keep one thing front and center:

• autistic people are humans, deserving of dignity

other considerations when thinking about autism¹:

• autistic people are treated as outsiders, making them less likely to be believe societies stories of society around race, nationality, etc etc
• autistic people are killing it in our most innovative sectors
• autistic people are underdog scientists, more likely to follow low-status, high-impact ideas
• because llms are literal and information-dense, autistic people are better at steering AI
• autistic people are the creators of my favorite tools

hard for me to not have gratitude for the autistic community.

related:

• Tyler Cowen on Economics and Autism
• Peter Thiel: Asperger's Is an Advantage