Anyone who pays attention knows that the economy thrives on dishonesty. Check the advertising on TV and radio for examples. Vast sums were made by the largest of banks solely by being dishonest. The "Madoff" csse is only one of many cases that occur daily across the nation and world. One case does not make a lesson because its not all inclusive.

Looks to me like you've presented absolutely no insight into the mind of Madoff at all, but rather spent an enormous amount of time polishing an article about some theoretical psychological/physiological stuff about monkeys.

"If there's any single attribute that separates Madoff from the average Wall Street thief, I'd suggest that it's his extraordinary ability to read what others think and desire, and especially to know what will give them the greatest satisfaction."

Wrong again, Bucko. It was his overwhelming greed for money - and probably the victims' greediness too if the truth be known. People who go after unseemingly improbable returns on investments are usually just as greedy as the guy ripping them off. Everyone thinks they are an exception to the rule:"Buyer beware."

It's too bad people got sucked into this scheme by a guy who obviously could care less about anyone other than himself. There was nothing brilliant about it. Madoff created a list of recognizable names as his "lure," and then everyone else hopped on his greed bandwagon.

Psychiatrists are ill equipped to define the terms since most have caught what they presume to treat.

A sociopath doesn't care what society or others thinks in regards to the harm that they do.

A psychopath enjoys what society and other s think in regard to the harm that they do. In short, they take great pleasure in causing harm.

If Madoff didn't care, I would suppose that a Billion would have been sufficient. Going after 60 Billion suggests that he really got a kick out of it.

Keep in mind that the psychaitric profession does not care about the harm they inflict upon others and in fact blames its victims for those problems. This is a characteristic of the psychopath. Blaming your victim is a dead giveaway.

No wonder they don't like the term because as a label, it fits them perfectly. By all means, take them out of the DSM!

Too bad you just can't call these dirty stinking lowlifes just plain "evil".

The "T" in John Calvin's T.U.L.I.P. explains Madoff's deceit.

It is the "total depravity" of man without Jesus.

It's everywhere. Any adult should know this. Man has a depraved heart.

A conman who comes to believe his own cons - or as they say in NYC where I lived at the time, "A gonif who thinks he's a macher...."

I wonder why SALON feels the need to psychoanalyze the type of huckster every New Yorker knows like the back of his or her hand, and to some extent is themselves - though usually on a much smaller scale. They're the guys who tell you about this great new company they're starting and they want YOU in on the ground floor - you just need you to do some "comp time" while it gets rolling; or they've got this musical that's SURE to hit it big on Broadway - if you and a few friends could just pull together a couple thousand between you for "development costs"; or they LOVE your book - but they need a $500 "Reader Fee" before they can take it to their bosses; and in the meantime, as evidence of their good faith - let's go out to lunch, my treat, hmm?

I am absolutely, positively 100% certain Bernie Madoff told himself every night that he could make every one of those investments good - all he needed was just one more big score and that'd do it. In fact, he's still telling himself that, I'll bet - if the Government would just get off this b.s. of nailing his ass and let him do his job, that poor old guy working in the supermarket would have his retirement fund back - because he's Bernie Madoff, and he's got the Magic Touch!

::sigh:: Like I said, I've known Bernie Madoff's poorer, and mainly unindicted, relations....

He would have been convicted and sentenced to at least several years in a very unpleasant prison by now.

It's possible to get 20 years for a joint in some of the sicker regions of America.

I haven't read all the letters so I don't know if somebody else already said this. Malusinka, what you're describing is SYMPATHY not EMPATHY. I do indeed think, from what I've heard and read, that autism has at least a component of faulty empathy, which is exactly what you describe: not being able to figure out what others are thinking or why they're doing what they're doing.

Sympathy is feeling sorry for someone. My mother is an absolute ace at this. She feels sorry for everybody all the time, and in return she wants everybody to feel sorry for her. But she really stinks at empathy. If someone does something that she would not do in the same circumstance, her response is "That's crazy. That doesn't make any sense! That person is weird!" She doesn't seem to have the native ability to think about an event or reaction or feeling AS THOUGH she were in the position of someone else, with a different background, different motivations, and so on.

Occasionally with a lot of work I can try to get her to see how someone else would think differently, but boy is it painful, and more often than not she gets angry with me for "excusing crazy behavior." And no, I'm not talking only about negative behavior--if it's not what she'd do, then it's crazy!

Because of this situation with my mom, I'm very attuned to the difference between sympathy and empathy. And I think a LOT of people get these two things confused.

Greed and the power that accompanies great wealth must be very powerful addictions and like many addictions, such as crack cocaine and heroin, can numb one's ability to feel empathy for others.

Is there ever enough wealth or drugs to satiate the addiction?

Bernie is not so different than the drug addicts who prostitute themselves to feed their habit, while neglecting their own children.