Comments on: The power of autism… and the danger of selecting against it http://futurismic.com/2009/01/08/the-power-of-autism-and-the-danger-of-selecting-against-it/ Presenting the fact and fiction of tomorrow since 2001 Fri, 10 Feb 2012 22:03:44 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: Paul Raven http://futurismic.com/2009/01/08/the-power-of-autism-and-the-danger-of-selecting-against-it/comment-page-1/#comment-17561 Paul Raven Thu, 08 Jan 2009 20:58:56 +0000 http://futurismic.com/?p=5451#comment-17561 I think the <i>Neverness</i> autists were just called Autists, but it was largely a voluntary state. That said, autism spectrum disorders do quite well in sf characters: quite a few Aspergers types in Gibson's material (explicitly so in the Bridge Trilogy), and didn't Baxter have an Aspergers scientist in one of his more recent ones? I think the Neverness autists were just called Autists, but it was largely a voluntary state. That said, autism spectrum disorders do quite well in sf characters: quite a few Aspergers types in Gibson’s material (explicitly so in the Bridge Trilogy), and didn’t Baxter have an Aspergers scientist in one of his more recent ones?

]]> By: Jetse http://futurismic.com/2009/01/08/the-power-of-autism-and-the-danger-of-selecting-against-it/comment-page-1/#comment-17559 Jetse Thu, 08 Jan 2009 19:26:27 +0000 http://futurismic.com/?p=5451#comment-17559 I really liked the <i>A Requiem for Homo Sapiens</i> series, although I can't recall the cult with the pseudo-autistic state (it's been ten years since I read them, and there were quite a few cults in the whole series). From memory, I liked <i>Neverness</i> best, then <i>The Wild</i>. I found that <i>The Broken God</i> took a bit too long to really get going, and was somewhat disappointed by the big reveal in <i>War in Heaven</i> (i.e.: what had really happened to Danlo's father). I do recall that -- in Greg Egan's <i>Distress</i> -- there were autists that refused to be 'cured' (there was a cure possible in the novel) because they wished to keep their special talents. I really liked the A Requiem for Homo Sapiens series, although I can’t recall the cult with the pseudo-autistic state (it’s been ten years since I read them, and there were quite a few cults in the whole series). From memory, I liked Neverness best, then The Wild. I found that The Broken God took a bit too long to really get going, and was somewhat disappointed by the big reveal in War in Heaven (i.e.: what had really happened to Danlo’s father).

I do recall that — in Greg Egan’s Distress — there were autists that refused to be ‘cured’ (there was a cure possible in the novel) because they wished to keep their special talents.

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