
Madness and Reason
Jennifer Radden(Author)
Routledge (Publisher)
1st Edition
Published on 31. July 2020
Book
Hardback
188 pages
978-0-367-50000-9 (ISBN)
Description
Originally published in 1985, this book provides a philosophical analysis of the concepts of madness and moral responsibility. It challenges the view that because they are victims of mental illness, the insane should not be blamed for actions resulting from their condition. The author urges a return to the neglected equation between madness and a want of reason, arguing that the impulse to excuse the criminally insane must be grounded in an appeal to their irrationality and unreasonableness. Through meticulous examination of the psychological states and behaviour patterns of major mental abnormalities, such as schizophrenia and depression, the author develops a notion of exculpating unreason. This is an interdisciplinary book which encompasses analytical philosophy, abnormal psychology and law.
More details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Taylor & Francis Ltd
Target group
College/higher education
Dimensions
Height: 234 mm
Width: 156 mm
Weight
453 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-367-50000-9 (9780367500009)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions



Person
Jennifer Radden is Professor emerita of Philosophy at the University of Massachusetts, Boston.
Content
1. Madness and Moral Responsibility 2. A Disease Model of Madness 3. Diseases as Excuses for Wrongdoing 4. Madness as Unreason 5. Irrationality and Unreasonableness 6. Hallucination and Thought Disorder 7. Paranoid Delusion and Affective Disorder 8. Deviance and Defect 9. The Legal Tradition: Exculpating Ignorance and Compulsion 10. Exculpating Unreason in Children 11. The Insanity Plea