Neurodiversity as Intellectual Engine

Reading Adam Smith through the lens of Autism Spectrum Disorder suggests some hallmark features of ASD — intense, narrow focus and atypical memory — can power deep, original scholarship. The piece argues these cognitive styles (monotropism, selective attention) can be explanatory tools for how key ideas were produced, not merely deficits. — If true more broadly, this reframing changes how historians, educators, and employers recognize and support neurodivergent contributions to culture, science, and politics.