Rethinking autism, theism, and atheism : Bodiless agents and imaginary realities

• In this presentation, results from an ongoing study on religiosity in young adults on the autism spectrum is presented. Despite popular notions that autistic individuals would find it difficult to form mental representations of invisible minds, these participants describe the experience of mutual interaction with supernatural agents such as gods, angels and ghosts. Moreover, several of them describe vivid daydreaming and imaginary realities that they absorb into. It is argued that there is a discrepancy between social imagination and imagination per se, and that only the former is affected in autism. It is also suggested that supernatural and imaginary representations of invisible agents are more predictable and demand less cognitive load in comparison to interaction face-to-face.

Ämnesord

HUMANIORA  -- Filosofi, etik och religion -- Religionsvetenskap (hsv//swe)

HUMANITIES  -- Philosophy, Ethics and Religion -- Religious Studies (hsv//eng)

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