Josef Schovanec: The hard life of a non-autist

O tomto videu

In the world there are very few people with autism who are able to talk openly about how they view the outside world. There are even fewer of them who are able to lead fulfilling lives. Joseph is one of them. In his humorous talk he shares valuable insights about what is it like to, as he puts it, “come from the country of Autistan”.

About this speaker

Josef Schovanec is an extraordinary French mathematician and philosopher, a graduate of the prestigious Institute of Political Sciences (Sciences Po) in Paris. As a child, he was diagnosed with Asperger syndrome, a milder form of autism. Soon after, teachers, classmates as well as renowned psychologists branded him as incapable of leading a normal life. After several years of continuous torment, Josef was able to turn his lifelong handicap into an advantage and today is an inspiration to many. He speaks ten languages, including Czech, exotic Persian and Sanskrit, enjoys traveling and lecturing about autism. In 2014, he wrote a book called One Screw Loose in which he writes about what the autistic world looks like. The book is about a life of hardship, but presents also many humorous situations.