Today’s episode examines a critical essay refuting the methodology and underlying assumptions of a 2024 Cambridge study on the moral foundations of autistic people, particularly focusing on research by the Baron-Cohen cohort. The author of that essay, Dr. Jaime Hoerricks, argues that the study, which suggests autistic people favor Fairness over Care and exhibit libertarian tendencies, is not objective science but a form of “soft eugenics” aiming to define and control the autistic community through a “deficit narrative.” Dr. Hoerricks contends that the research relies on the flawed Empathising–Systemising framework and measures assimilation to neurotypical moral language, not genuine ethics, serving ultimately to justify policy decisions that dismantle support systems. She concludes by advocating for a “counter-canon” of resistance, urging readers to map the network of Cambridge-affiliated research to expose its ideological function and preserve autistic fidelity to truth and relational ethics.
Here’s the link to the source article: https://open.substack.com/pub/autside/p/refusing-their-lexicon-how-cambridges
Let me know what you think.
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