Philosophy of Madness | Justin Garson | Madness Radio
First Aired: 06-13-2024 -- 1 comment | Add comment
Is madness dysfunction and breakdown – or part of human evolution that helps us survive? Writers going back to Hippocrates saw madness as the organism’s way to cope with its environment, so why has this view almost disappeared today? Justin Garson, professor of philosophy at Hunter College and author of Madness: a Philosophical Exploration, joins co-hosts Will Hall and Jessica Gallinger to discuss madness as a strategy, beyond the biological vs psychological debate.
Justin Garson’s website Madness: A Philosophical Exploration Transcript
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This was a very interesting discussion. I appreciate the idea that psychological difficulties/crises can have an important purpose (function) in our lives. Our mental states ought to be understood and defined by ourselves, rather than being labelled “illnesses” or otherwise (mis)interpreted by others.
I wouldn’t want to suggest to people that psychiatric drugs can help them in the short term, considering the brain damage, health problems, and withdrawal symptoms that the drugs can cause.
We need to challenge the speciesism, sexism, racism/colonialism, ableism, capitalism, militarism, and greed that are so pervasive throughout our societies. In a peaceful and fair vegan society, people would be much less likely to experience the extreme distress that they do now.