Editing Charles Babbage (section)

=== Education and Cognitive Rigidity ===
Babbage entered Trinity College, Cambridge, in 1810, where he was disappointed by the poor quality of mathematical instruction—an early sign of '''literalist perfectionism''' and resistance to social convention. He helped found the Analytical Society, which aimed to reform British mathematics by promoting Leibnizian calculus notation over Newtonian, revealing a trait I associate with Aspie thinking: '''rejection of tradition in favor of internal logic'''.

He was uncomfortable in debates, disliked authority, and had difficulty tolerating academic hierarchy. His friends described him as intellectually intimidating, pedantic, and emotionally flat in conversation—hallmarks of '''social impairment and cognitive rigidity''' consistent with Asperger profiles.
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