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Elon Musk and the Silicon Valley Leper’s Club

We don’t need sociopathy to explain bad behavior. Just numbness.

James Horton, Ph.D
Lessons from History

Image by author, via Midjourney

Is Elon Musk a sociopath? I have been pondering this question as he recklessly dismembers Twitter.

Color me skeptical. I don’t want to justify Musk, but I think you can criticize his actions and even his character without resorting to pathological labels. However, people have accused him of psychopathy, sociopathy, and malignant narcissism for many years, and their accusations have intensified since his acquisition of Twitter.

It’s not just Elon Musk. In recent months Silicon Valley has produced multiple villains:

In the wake of scandals like these, people habitually reach for comfortable explanations that attribute the…

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Lessons from History
Lessons from History

Published in Lessons from History

Lessons from History is a platform for writers who share ideas and inspirational stories from world history. The objective is to promote history on Medium and demonstrate the value of historical writing.

James Horton, Ph.D
James Horton, Ph.D

Written by James Horton, Ph.D

Social scientist, world traveler, freelancer. Alaskan, twice. Writes about psychology, well-being, science, tech, and climate change. Ghostwriter on the side.

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Fascinating and thought provoking.

Excellent article.