Embodied sociality and the conditioned relativism of dispositional diversity

Following on from last year’s presentation on the micro-sociological analysis of autism, this paper takes this exploration further by reviewing the concepts of ‘embodiment’ (Merleau-Ponty, 1945), as well as those of ‘conditioned relativism’ and ‘dispositional diversity’ as first devised by the paper’s author some fifteen years ago as an undergraduate student, and applied to debates regarding neurodiversity. These concepts were devised by the author many years prior to being diagnosed as being on the autistic spectrum, having been previously assessed as ‘suffering’ from a number of ‘mental illnesses’ by a number of psychiatrists in his youth. Drawing upon Marxist and Phenomenological theories in particular, these concepts are explained through interactive activities, yet also an eclectic citation of references ranging from Lao Tsu to Jimi Hendrix. These philosophical/sociological conceptualisations will be contrasted with those of others within the neurodiversity movement as a way of highlighting the need for ‘autistic solidarity’ and the disabling effects of being isolated from others of similar ‘disposition’. It is hoped that through this overview, a new theoretical ‘paradigm’ of autism and neurodiversity will be presented, that presents a theoretical explanation for the autistic ‘difference’ being a ‘normal’ part of the diversity characteristic of all nature, and thus hopefully dislodging the hegemonic dominance of what constitutes ‘normalcy’ yet further. It is hoped that this paper will go some way toward promoting a paradigm shift in the field of autism studies.