Episode 380: Autistic Empathy, Stone-Borne Continuity, and the Counter-Canon

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Recorded09 Oct 2025

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Today’s episode presents a powerful argument challenging the prevailing narrative that autistic people lack empathy. The author of the source article, Dr. Jaime Hoerricks, asserts that autistic empathy is not deficient but rather was “stolen, misread, [and] weaponised” by fields like philosophy and psychology, which apply inappropriate metrics to measure it. The work establishes a “Stone-Borne” historical and cyclical temporality where empathy was foundational to human survival and cooperation, contrasting this with the “straight lines” of colonial and scientific progress that pathologise autistic ways of being. Using metaphors like the Tsavo lions and the railway, Dr. Hoerricks critiques how autistic moral clarity and intense empathy are dismissed as “rigidity” or “deficit” by those who mistake their own disruption for truth. She rejects philosophical defenses that attempt to prove autistic morality despite a supposed lack of empathy, insisting that the premise of absence must be refused entirely. Ultimately, she defines an “autistic counter-canon” that reclaims empathy and advocates for a future where autistic continuity is recognised as wisdom rather than anomaly.Here’s the link to the source article: https://open.substack.com/pub/autside/p/the-after-they-cannot-imagine-autismLet me know what you think.The AutSide is a reader-supported publication. To support my work, consider becoming a paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit autside.substack.com/subscribe

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