Is sanity rational?
September 25, 2014 at 9:24 pm
(This post was last modified: September 25, 2014 at 9:25 pm by bennyboy.)
As I get older, I'm starting to reminisce more. One thing I reminisce about is a time I had a compulsory interview with a psychotherapist. She thought she was assessing me, but I really went philosophical on her. I suggested that everything she takes as an indicator of sanity is delusional. Our interview ended up with her having a philosophical crisis, and me getting a cool new doctor with crazy hair, a lazy eye, and an interest in talking about philosophy.
But anyway, what are the indicators of sanity? Here are a few off the top of my head.
-It's important to get out of bed in the morning, because things you do matter.
-You believe you see things essentially as they are, and act accordingly.
-You behave "morally," which means you accept that others are important, too, and that you will not interfere with their process of seeing things as they are and acting accordingly.
But are these components of world view ACTUALLY rational? Are they founded on observation or a sensible process of drawing inferences? I don't think so. I think they are expressions of feelings ingrained in our species through the process of evolution.
What say you? Does being "crazy" really mean someone has lost their grip on reality, and does being "sane" really mean someone is interacting meaningfully with an objective reality?
But anyway, what are the indicators of sanity? Here are a few off the top of my head.
-It's important to get out of bed in the morning, because things you do matter.
-You believe you see things essentially as they are, and act accordingly.
-You behave "morally," which means you accept that others are important, too, and that you will not interfere with their process of seeing things as they are and acting accordingly.
But are these components of world view ACTUALLY rational? Are they founded on observation or a sensible process of drawing inferences? I don't think so. I think they are expressions of feelings ingrained in our species through the process of evolution.
What say you? Does being "crazy" really mean someone has lost their grip on reality, and does being "sane" really mean someone is interacting meaningfully with an objective reality?
